Sweet Somethings
by Ssjshadic
Summary: Because the things we whisper to each other often mean more than just cooing and kind words. NaLu, T for suggestiveness and a bit of language. Set just before the time skip, during the year, and after the time skip.
1. Sweet Somethings

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, because if I did, I wouldn't be working with my University's newspaper.

* * *

 **Sweet Somethings**

"I've got a lot of hard candy especially for you, Luce," Natsu said as he and his partner walked back towards the spirit mage's apartment from the guildhall. Lucy giggled and pulled him to her, nipping at his ear lobe.

"I do love _hard_ candy," she breathed into his ear. Lucy felt her smile grow as the fire mage's face darkened to match his hair. She was pleased that she'd managed to elicit such a reaction from him.

She thought about how surprised she'd been earlier that day when Natsu had walked into the guildhall and started teasing her in ways she never could have imagined he was capable of. The dragon slayer seemed versed in sexual innuendo to a shocking degree, and what was even more surprising was how he had been discreet about the teasing all day. It didn't sync up with his normal loud and boorish attitude, but Lucy found that, because it was with Natsu, she could play along.

"I, uh," Natsu stumbled over his words for the umpteenth time that day. Lucy let herself feel a little bit of pride at how many times she'd been able to fluster her favorite fire mage. "I hope it's sweet enough for you."

Lucy felt heat rise in her own face. She was glad that Happy had elected to stay at the guild with Charla and Wendy until later that night. The last thing she needed in the middle of the game she and Natsu were playing was for the Exceed to interrupt them with his usual trill. The celestial spirit mage stepped up to her apartment entrance.

"Anything from you is sweet, Natsu," she said. A moment passed before she realized just how real that statement was, and she worried at her lip, glancing over her shoulder to see Natsu's reaction. The fire mage was nowhere to be seen, however, and Lucy found him in her window once she entered her apartment. She let out a sigh. Natsu's toothy grin greeted her.

"I still don't get why you bother locking the door," he said, hopping from the sill over her bed and onto the floor. Lucy rolled her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her show of exasperation. Was the game over? She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She'd enjoyed the flirting, maybe more than she should have. Natsu was supposed to be her best friend, after all. "Hey, Luce?"

The blond teenager came back to the present and found a head of pink hair mere inches from her face. She stifled a squeak and stepped back.

"Y-yeah?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her reaction, but didn't comment on it.

"What are we?" He asked.

Lucy's tongue knotted and her throat went a little dry at Natsu's bold question. It wasn't anything out of the norm for the fire mage; he'd never been much for shyness or anything except the straightforward route to his goals. Lucy walked to her desk chair and sat down, gathering her thoughts.

"Well," she began, keeping her eyes down and fiddling with one of her pens. "Do you mean, like, to each other?"

"Yeah."

Lucy took a steadying breath, hardly believing such a conversation was happening.

"We're guild mates," she said, daring to bring her gaze back onto the dragon slayer. "And we're teammates. Do- do you think differently?"

Natsu shook his head.

"No! No, I just, uh," he said, scratching his cheek with his finger. "I didn't know if we were something more than that."

Lucy's breath caught. She felt warmth creep up her neck again.

"Do you... want to be?"

Natsu's brows furrowed. Lucy almost worried that she'd stepped over some line that had been blurred by the day's teasing until she realized he was deep in thought. He sat cross-legged on one of her chairs, and stared at her intently as if she were a teacher who taught his favorite class.

"What would change?" He asked.

Lucy noted how cute Natsu giving his rapt attention was before she formulated an answer.

"I don't know if a lot would have to change," she said, turning away from her desk so her body faced him. "But I guess it depends. Couples have different boundaries and rules between them, and they usually aren't set in stone," she said, before grimacing. "Unless the relationship is arranged, like some of the people I know associated with my father when I was younger."

Natsu cocked his head.

"Rules?"

Lucy nodded.

"Sometimes there's an issue with public displays of affection," she said, too caught up in thinking about the questions to be flustered by the discussion. "Mutual trust can be a problem too, if someone is insecure. There are a lot of things that need to be felt out and agreed on for a relationship to work."

Natsu propped an elbow on one knee and rested his face in his hand.

"That sounds kinda complicated."

Lucy smiled a little.

"Relationships tend to be that way," she said. "I don't think we'd have as much of the same trouble, though. Not every couple ventures out together to fight with their lives at stake for a living."

Natsu hummed.

"The most important thing," Lucy said, standing up from her chair and stretching. "Is that a couple practices good communication."

Natsu pursed his lips. Lucy could almost see him turning everything over in his head.

"Communication," he murmured, before jumping up. "Okay," he said, kicking off his sandals. "Lucy, I'm going to sleep in your comfy bed tonight."

Natsu slid under the spirit mage's pink comforter. He looked at her as if to ask whether he was practicing communication correctly. Lucy just returned his look before laughing.

" _Most_ men would pose that as a question, not a statement," she said, talking over her shoulder as she walked to her bathroom. "But since I figured you'd be doing that anyway, I'll let it slide."

* * *

Natsu stared into the darkness in Lucy's room. He held his partner close to his body, one arm looped around her waist while the other hooked under her shoulders. His thumb absently rubbed her neckline. Unlike every other night he'd shared a bed with her, though, Lucy was reciprocating his contact. Their legs entangled together, and her slender arms hugged around his torso. Her head tucked under his chin, and he could feel her heartbeat just as much as he could hear it.

The proximity and intimacy wasn't why he couldn't sleep, though.

 _Communication, huh?_ He thought. The fire mage sighed, shifting his head until his lips hovered just shy of Lucy's forehead.

"Hey, Luce?"

Natsu steeled his nerves. He had no idea how she'd react to what he needed to say. She mumbled. He recognized that she was awake from the change in her breathing rhythms. He reminded himself to ask her, not just tell her.

"Um, how would you feel if," he started, pausing to take another fortifying breath. "If I left for a while?"

Lucy shifted in his arms, her pillow rustling as she lifted her head a bit.

"You mean for a job?"

Natsu's eyes flickered down to look into Lucy's own chocolate ones. He adjusted his arm around her shoulder to massage her scalp.

"Not exactly," he said. "Happy and I are planning to leave the guild for a bit to train."

Lucy went quiet. Natsu cursed himself, wondering what he'd done wrong.

"When?"

Natsu didn't miss the mild irritation in Lucy's tone. He treaded forward with as much care as he could muster.

"Tomorrow."

Lucy's eyebrows scrunched together. Despite knowing that her annoyance was directed at him, Natsu couldn't help thinking how much he liked seeing that look on her face. His favorite blond gave a frustrated sigh.

"You could have told me sooner," she said, slipping back in to his chest. "I don't know how long I'll need to pack in the morning."

"Huh?"

"Well," Lucy said, pulling back again to look at him. "You said we leave tomorrow, right?"

Natsu stiffened. He hadn't expected her to want to go with him.

"No," he said. "I said Happy and me are leaving tomorrow."

Lucy's grasp on him loosened. Natsu turned his head and buried his face into her pillow, suddenly recognizing how heartless he sounded.

"So, what," she said. Her voice was so low and quiet and fragile that it cut into Natsu's heartstrings. "You're just abandoning me?"

The fire dragon slayer jerked his head up, ready to bark out denial. He hated that word, and he knew Lucy did too. They hated it because they'd both felt it before. He couldn't find words strong enough to tell her that, though. His throat constricted and his brain short-circuited at the betrayed look she was giving him. The part of him that wanted to stay overwhelmed the rest of him, and before he fully knew what he was doing, he kissed her.

Natsu heard Lucy's heartbeat skip and spike in response. He could feel his own pulsing against his chest. He didn't pause, though, overcome by a need to convey just how much he cared about and wanted her. He let his actions speak for him, inexperienced though they were. The fire mage felt a heat he'd never known in his life when Lucy returned the gesture. It left him too soon, though, as Lucy initiated the break.

Both of them were short on breath, but Natsu could see Lucy was angry. His excitement broke down and was washed away by shame. Did he overstep some boundary of hers? He didn't know if he could live with himself if he really betrayed her like that.

"Why, Natsu?"

His heart took another blow at the chill from her voice. Lucy pulled her arms back and wrestled in his grasp so she was turned away from him.

"Why would you do that," she said, her voice shaking. Natsu tried to push past the sudden dryness in his throat, to find the right words.

"I wanna be able to protect my family, Lucy," he said.

"You do that all the time _now_ anyway."

"I need to be ready to see Zeref again,"

"You can't just come in here and start asking for something more out of me"

"I gotta be able to avenge Igneel."

"Then just drop the idea of leaving me behind to go off to Mavis knows where"

"But you're the main reason I need to do this, Luce."

"Because it's just okay for me to sit here and worry about you?"

"'Cause I don't want you to have to make a sacrifice like that again."

"And the _worst_ thing is to kiss me right after- what?"

Lucy stopped, twisting her neck around to look back at Natsu. The dragon slayer tightened his grip on her waist, struggling to keep his eyes on hers. Silence lingered between them for what felt like hours.

"You mean Aquarius," she whispered, almost so quiet he didn't catch it. He nodded, gently pulling her back towards him. She didn't protest. "I never told you about that."

Natsu pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent.

"Didn't have to," he said, closing his eyes. "I heard it."

Quiet again. Lucy rolled over in his embrace to face him.

"I couldn't see while we were trapped," he said, feeling a lump form in his throat. "But I could hear you the whole time."

His fingers pressed into her side under her nightie about her waist.

"I was so fuckin' scared, Luce. I was proud of you too," he smiled weakly, pressing his lips to her forehead. "But mostly scared. I mean you had somethin' like three of them trying to kill you. It was infuriatin', being trapped, 'cause I couldn't do a damn thing to help you. Then"

Natsu swallowed, taking a moment for a quivering breath.

"Then I heard you sobbing. _Wailing_ , really," he said. "I couldn't stand it. I never heard you cry like that before. And I hate it when you cry anyway. I knew something happened to Aquarius, but"

He pulled Lucy to him in a tighter grip, wishing he could erase the memory by hugging her hard enough.

"But I didn't know if you were hurt, or dyin', and I couldn't get to you fast enough 'cause I wouldn't be able to live with myself if somethin' happened to you and"

Natsu was cut short by Lucy's lips pressing into his. It was brief, but he quieted, only to panic when he noticed she was crying once she pulled away. He freaked out, asking what was wrong, but she shushed him. She gave him a watery smile and brought a hand to his face, the other nuzzling his hair.

"I'm okay, Natsu," she said. Even through the tears, her eyes conveyed so much care that the calming effect was immediate. He shuddered against her hands, blinking back his own tears. "I'm here, with you, we're safe."

"Yeah," he whispered. They lay there for a while, and he reveled in the feeling of her fingers on his face and neck. He chuckled a little. "So, long story short, that's why."

Lucy's smile widened just a hair, but his keen eyes didn't miss it. She curled into him.

"I still don't see why you think you need to go by yourself," she said, trailing her fingers down his neck to rest on his chest. His skin tingled where he felt her breath. "You don't think it was hard for me seeing you so torn up about Igneel?"

Natsu tensed. The fire mage hadn't considered things from her perspective. The celestial spirit mage brought her hand from his hair and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"I want to get stronger just as much as you do, Natsu," she said. Her hair tickled his chin. "And you're my main reason too."

Natsu played with her golden locks and hummed in acknowledgement. He still wasn't convinced that bringing Lucy with him was the best idea.

"I want you to be safe," he whispered. Lucy smiled against his neck.

"When haven't I been safe with you?"

"Every single time you've had to save my life," he said easily. Lucy tilted her head back, pressing a kiss to his jawline. "I'd just feel better knowing you had the guild with you, not just me."

Natsu winced when Lucy pinched his shoulder.

"You are a wonderful partner, Natsu," she said in a firm tone. "Don't ever sell yourself short."

The fire mage smiled.

"Well yeah," he said, grinning down at her. "I _am_ pretty awesome."

Lucy smiled back at him.

"I think we'd be a distraction to each other if we went together," he half-joked. Natsu felt his grin widen as he watched Lucy's face turn pink.

"Well, if the way you kissed me is any indication," she said. Natsu pecked her cheek for good measure, earning a light giggle from her. "I guess I can understand that."

Natsu watched Lucy's face while she thought, appreciating the way her eyes stared straight ahead and the little huffs of concentration she let out.

"Okay," she said. "I'll stay with the guild. But you need to promise me two things."

"Name 'em."

"One," she said, pressing her index finger against his chest. "You have to write me every chance you get."

Natsu pursed his lips. He'd never liked writing to people, since he preferred interacting face to face, and it gave him bad memories of Erza's lessons when he was a child. Nonetheless, he agreed, anything to make Lucy happy.

"And two," she pressed another finger to his chest, pulling herself up so her face was level with his. "I want you to get so much stronger that I can't recognize you when you get back."

Natsu cocked his head.

"Why would you want me to look different?"

Lucy sighed.

"Just promise me."

He grinned.

"Okay. I promise."

Lucy kissed him again before snuggling back into his chest. Natsu smiled and sank into her bed with her, feeling sleep tug at his eyelids. He may be leaving something fantastically new in Magnolia, but he had another reason to look forward to coming back home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Would you believe this is the result of some half-conscious ramblings my ill mind concocted in the middle of the night?

Well, it's official. I've dived in so far to the Fairy Tail fandom that I now have a one shot with NaLu in it. I'm a lost cause.

This turned into a somewhat more sensitive telling of how Natsu left Lucy during the time skip after Tartaros. It's also the first time I've dipped my proverbial toes into the romance genre. Let me know how I did with a review, otherwise, just mash your keyboard to give the thing some extra exercise!


	2. Rough Around the Edges

Disclaimer: As of the last twenty four hours, I still have not managed to acquire rights to Fairy Tail. Continued respect to Hiro Mashima for hanging onto it.

* * *

 **Rough Around the Edges**

Lucy woke up to sunlight streaming in through her window. The blond mage snuggled deeper into her comforter-

Her comforter.

Lucy opened her eyes to find the bed empty save herself. Natsu was nowhere to be found. She huffed, not too proud to admit she was a bit impressed. How had he gotten away without waking her? She'd been pretty snug with him the night before. That realization stung her cheeks with warmth. She shook her head and tossed the comforter back.

Natsu was leaving today. The thought still caused an ache in her chest, but if anything else about last night was real, then he wasn't really abandoning her. She shivered at that word. She hated it. Regardless, she sauntered to her kitchen to make coffee before she got dressed to go to the guild. She lingered longer than usual that morning, hoping Natsu would at least come to say goodbye in person. When minutes turned into an hour, though, she headed out, thinking that maybe he was there waiting for her.

The sight that greeted her there was the last thing she expected, and among the last she ever wanted to see.

"What do you mean, Master?"

"You can't disband the guild!"

"Fairy Tail can't disappear!"

These, and other protests, went unheeded by Makarov. The old Wizard Saint made his final verdict clear. After a few minutes, everyone gathered went their separate ways, until only Lucy was left, still stunned and still hoping to see a head of pink hair that she never found. The celestial spirit mage stood in place, alone, for too long, before she started walking.

Lucy wandered through Magnolia without any aim or destination in her mind. Fairy Tail, her family, was gone, all in an instant. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, coming back to herself near the town's sakura trees. She remembered how she'd missed the blossoming her first year at the guild. Of course, never one to be bogged down by things like rules or _common sense_ , Natsu had flat out hijacked one for her and sent it floating down the river by her apartment.

Natsu. Lucy wanted more than anything to see her favorite dragon slayer. He'd know what to say, and even if he didn't, he'd know what to do, because that's who he was. Lucy wondered about going to his house, but the understanding of all that was happening hit her then. He'd left. Along with the rest of her family, Natsu was gone. That realization was so shocking Lucy couldn't find any tears.

Lucy stumbled back into her apartment, feeling frustrated, saddened, and already lonely. She locked her door behind her and glared at her window, trying to dare Natsu into appearing. She sighed and stomped past her desk toward the bathroom to change into something more appropriate for sulking.

Something on her desk caught her eye. A letter was tucked beneath some of her manuscript. Had that been there before? She slit open the envelope, and immediately recognized Natsu's scratchy handwriting. She gave a slight shake of her head. How was he so sneaky?

 _Mornin' Luce!_

 _I got up early 'cause, y'know, I'm heading out today. I had to make sure Happy didn't eat all our fish and food supply before we left! I didn't read any of your book, I swear! I kinda wanted to wake you up before I went, but you looked real happy and comfy and it was hard enough to get outta that bed without you still attached to me. You're a hardcore snuggler, weirdo! Ha ha, don't worry; I won't forget what I promised. You keep an eye open for any BS from Snowcone while I'm gone, okay? Keep things alive in the guild.  
_

 _I miss you already._

 _-Natsu_

Lucy laughed, blushed, sighed, ground her teeth, and bit her lip. She had been cozy the night before, that much she remembered. But two things stood out- his comment about the guild (insults to Gray were par for Natsu on any given day), and his parting words. Her favorite fire mage didn't know that the guild had disbanded. Her lower lip quivered, but she cried from warmth as much as from sadness. Because the dork was still so sweet that even without him around, she could feel his heat lingering behind with her.

Almost a full month went by before she got his first letter. She'd been practicing her magic with her spirits in between her photo shoots for Jason. Without waiting to look at whatever else might have been in her mail, she ran back into her room and tore off the seal.

 _Yo Luce!_

She smiled. He greeted her the same way whether or not he could see her.

 _It's been a couple weeks, but I guess you knew that. It's so_ weird _without you around! I mean, yeah, me and Happy sometimes did solo jobs, but all our longer quests we had you too! I keep wondering why you ain't talking or getting excited over nothing before I remember you ain't with us. Sometimes I have to stop and look around 'cause I'm so used to you having my back. It's weirder without you around, weirdo. I dunno how I feel about that. But I'm workin' hard! I can't write much more, we can only afford one piece of paper since we need the cash for food. Happy won't forgive me if I spend his fish money on anything that ain't salmon._

 _Still missing you,_

 _-Natsu_

It was simple, but it made Lucy smile. Simple summed up Natsu pretty well. She shook her head, how could they already be broke and hurting for money? The only explanation was that it was Natsu and Happy. She read the letter again. He was thinking about her, even when he was so far away. She hugged the letter before folding it and opening a special drawer in her desk. She laid it inside next to the note he'd left her.

Lucy worried at her lip during a brief break from modeling for the magazine. It had been more than a month since her last letter from Natsu. The dragon slayer had been diligent about his promise for the first three months he'd been away. Granted, as he'd traveled farther and farther, the letters took longer to get to her, but a month was the longest she'd ever had to wait. Why was it that she'd been left hanging for six weeks?

She distracted herself with her work as an intern at Sorcerer Magazine, but her mind kept drifting. Had he been injured? Had _Happy_ been injured? Lucy knew Natsu would drop even training to take care of his little buddy. It wasn't inconceivable that his letters to her might lose a bit of priority. Even still, the thought stung a little more than she'd admit.

As she walked back to her apartment, Lucy wondered about another issue. Jason was working on getting her a position as an apprentice reporter for the magazine. The job would be welcome, but it meant moving to Crocus. The blond teenager knew she couldn't turn down the opportunity, but there was no way for her to tell Natsu that she'd have a new address. Lucy was so focused on trying to find a solution that she almost missed the envelope with a familiar seal on it.

Almost.

Rushing to her bed, she just about leapt onto it, tossing the rest of her mail to the floor. She took a pen from her desk and opened the envelope, pulling out two sheets of paper rather than just one. Lucy raised an eyebrow. The first one, which she read first, had familiar handwriting, but had rough, blackened edges, as if it had come in contact with flame. She smiled at the thought.

 _Hey Lu~cy,_

 _Didja ever think 'bout how pretty your name is? I have._

Lucy felt heat that only Natsu could provoke crawl up her face.

 _It's great! Ha ha, I'm trainin' my ass off. I've gotten real hot! Training is fun. Hey, you like stories, yeah? 'Course ya do, you're a writer, weirdo! You know that story about the princess and the knight and the big dragon?_

"You mean all five hundred of them?" She asked, whispering to the words on the page as if Natsu could hear her and answer.

 _Fuck those stories! They're boring and they all end the same- blah knight kills dragon blah knight saves princess blah knight and princess ride off and have thirty three babies blah. That's stupid!_

Lucy tried and failed to contain her laughter at how childish Natsu was.

 _No knight could take on a dragon! And why does the knight wanna kill the dragon anyway? The dragon ain't a bad guy, he's protecting what's his! If I was a princess, which I_ ain't _'cause I'm a badass dragon, I'd be happier to have a dragon than some cheap knight in a tin can suit of armor!_

 _Anyways, I'm pretty sleepy now. Guess I'll go._

 _Love,_

Lucy looked for Natsu's signature, but couldn't find it anywhere on the charred page. She may have stared at the way he ended the letter a bit too long before she turned to the other sheet. She narrowed her eyes. The writing looked like cat scratching.

 _Hiya Lushi!_

Oh how Lucy loved the feeling of being right.

 _It's Happy! Natsu's been a big meanie butt and hasn't let me write any part of his letters to you! Lushi, you're my friend too, right? But, hey, listen to this! He forgot to send out a letter to you at the last place we stopped for work!_

Lucy's smile faltered a bit, but she closed her eyes and shook the negativity from her head. The dragon slayer had been good about his promise so far; it wasn't that big a deal if he forgot once or twice.

 _And today he ate some really weird mushrooms that are messing with him and making him act loopier than you do! He wrote a letter to you like that anyway, though, so he wouldn't forget to write it later, even though he was still so wonky that he tried signing the letter with fire! I had to take it from him to put it out._

Lucy was tearing up from laughing so hard that her sides hurt.

 _He probably wrote some funny stuff in that letter to you. He forgot to seal it, though, which is why I'm writing now. Hee hee! I'm so sneaky! I have a lot of stuff to tell you about when we get home. I miss the guild. But I gotta take care of Natsu since he's so stupid sometimes. He says some weird things about you when he's asleep. He liiiiikes you!_

 _Be happy!_

 _-Happy_

Despite being alone in her apartment, Lucy covered her face with her hand at Happy's parting comment. She hadn't thought much about the more physical aspects of the night before Natsu had left or what they meant, but now that her attention had been called back to it, she wondered. Did Natsu want more than what they had between the two of them? Did _she_? For as blunt as the fire mage tended to be, he could be quite confusing.

Lucy slapped her cheeks with her palms. She couldn't think too much about this right now. Natsu was still working hard. She would too. Folding up the letters with her usual care, she slipped them into their special drawer and left to talk to her landlady about forwarding her mail to Crocus.

Lucy slumped into her apartment. The day had been tiring, since the Grand Magic Games were set to start again in two months and Sorcerer Magazine was conducting interviews of guilds across the region that were set to participate. The celestial spirit mage yawned, ready to fall asleep without even changing out of her clothes. Regardless, she went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Her posture perked a little when she saw the letter she'd left on her bed that morning. Lucy had been in a hurry, and didn't have time to read it before work started. The transition from Magnolia to receiving mail in Crocus had been smoother than she could've hoped. Each letter only took a few days longer to find her.

She curled into her sheets and, using her fingertips, broke the seal.

 _Luce,_

She frowned a bit. Lucy had learned to read Natsu's mood somewhat through how he greeted her in his letters during the past ten months. He seemed subdued somehow.

 _You'll never guess who we ran into! Gildarts! Yeah, the old man just happened to be wandering 'round the same mountains we were, and it was so great to see him! We tussled a bit of course- I've gotten hella stronger! Even he was impressed. We talked for a while too, about... eh, nothing important._

Lucy pursed her lips and pouted. Natsu had a right to his privacy, but that didn't keep her from being curious.

 _I've been noticing the last couple weeks how quiet it gets at night out here. There's, like, nothing. I've spent more time lying awake lately. It's so quiet there's nothing to do except think. I keep thinking about Igneel. I know he'd be proud that I'm gettin' stronger, but I still miss him._

Lucy felt her eyes sting and she sniffled in sympathy.

 _Then I always look up and see all the stars in the sky. Makes me think about you, but I guess a lot of stuff makes me think about you. I miss you too, Luce. So fuckin' much. I'm comin' home soon, so I won't be sending any more letters. I wanna surprise you. You said you wanted me to get so strong you wouldn't know who I was, right? I can do that._

 _See you soon,_

 _-Natsu_

Lucy froze. She read the last few lines of the letter again. Twice. She couldn't help the watery smile creeping onto her face. She would see him again. She hugged the letter to her chest. She looked out her window and wondered; what Natsu was thinking when he saw the same night sky; what he'd do when they saw each other again.

* * *

 _Grand Magic Games,_ he thought. It brought back memories. He listened to the crowd cheer, gasp and clamor over the deciding fight of the tournament. He waited to make his entrance. The security here needed some serious improvement.

"Scarmiglione has won!"

That was his cue. He reached out with his senses to make sure he knew where she was. Her magic, though much more powerful than it was before he left, was still unmistakable. He'd never forget how it felt. He'd pulled the stunt he had planned before, and the idea of anyone else seeing her with melted clothes bothered him.

"Oh, what's this? A strange figure has appeared on the battlefield!"

He ignored the announcer and the sound of the crowd. He had to make sure his face stayed hidden. He walked right up to the five wizards still standing.

"You guys are the strongest guild in Fiore?"

He let his magic swell. The five mages in front of him didn't back down, only glowered.

"What's it to you?"

He grinned, flashing his sharp canines. The intense heat of his magic roared while he almost whispered.

"Fight me."

The stadium filled with cries of surprise and shock as clothes and even stone began to melt in his flaring heat. He let his hood fall back, slamming a flaming fist against the face of the first one to rush him. His keen hearing picked up Happy greeting Lucy. A playful chuckle escaped him while his scarf flapped in the breeze.

Natsu was back.

"Yo, Lucy!"

Natsu waved at the celestial spirit mage with his usual grin as he walked out of the castle. He'd been pardoned, of course. There was no crime in fighting during a tournament, right? Lucy looked happy, and Natsu got further confirmation when she tackled him in a hug, knocking the air out of him.

"I can't believe you," Lucy said. Natsu could feel her smiling even though her words sounded exasperated. "This is the way you choose to surprise me?"

Natsu laughed, hugging his favorite blond by the waist.

"I wanted it to be awesome," he started, before he smelled the sweat of fear nearby. Pausing, he glanced over Lucy's head. The five he'd approached in the stadium were kneeling before him.

"Sensei! Please teach us! If we worked under you, we could make a quick buck"

Natsu glared from under his pink bangs down at them. Quiet so as not to bug Lucy, he growled.

 _"Piss off."_

The rude wizards ran away screaming. Natsu's tension waned. He didn't want his reunion with his partner to be interrupted by anything. He turned back to Lucy, grin plastered on his face.

"So," he said, a sudden grumble from his stomach turning his face sheepish. "Be honest- did you recognize me?"

After eating their fill- Lucy was the most wonderful thing to ever grace his life, and Happy agreed with him- Natsu and his partner wandered through the park in Crocus. The fire dragon slayer had warmth brewing in his belly, and not just from the food. Lucy had been impressed by his display at the stadium, which he was pretty sure meant he'd kept his second promise. He felt like nothing could bring down his mood.

Oh, how Natsu hated being wrong.

"Whaddaya mean gramps disbanded the guild," he muttered, his voice weaker than it'd ever been. A dark aura engulfed him, and he swore. "What the hell, gramps. Where is he? I'll rip out his hair! How could everyone just leave like that?"

Natsu's dark fury receded at the sound of Lucy's tinkling laugh. The spirit mage gave him a slight smile and bopped him on the nose.

"A little hypocritical, don't you think?" She asked.

Natsu cringed, but Lucy didn't see it, because she was already chatting with Happy more about their travels. The fire mage's belly wasn't harboring as much warmth. The bitter taste of guilt took up residence on his tongue.

"This is my apartment. Since you guys don't have any other place to stay, you can sleep here," Lucy said later that night. "But, no breaking things, and my bedroom is off limits!" The blond teenager yelled at Happy, who hadn't heard a word past permission to sleep in her apartment and was already clawing at her furniture. Natsu chuckled with little mirth. He kept up appearances throughout the night as they played games, talked, and caught up with each other until Lucy retired.

Happy curled up on his rollout bed on the floor, Natsu on the sofa. One leg hung over the back of the couch, and he stared up at the ceiling.

"Hard to believe the guild is gone, huh, Natsu?"

Natsu grunted agreement. A moment passed before Happy padded up to his side and poked his face. The blue Exceed was sporting a mischievous grin.

"Wanna go draw on Lucy's face while she's asleep?"

Natsu looked at his little buddy for a minute before shrugging.

"I kinda just want to sleep, Happy."

He rolled over. Happy yelped in disbelief and continued poking at the back of his neck for several minutes before he gave up. Natsu listened to him pad up to Lucy's door, sigh, then come back to lie down on his bed. The dragon slayer stared at the back of the sofa, waiting until Happy's breathing evened out to tell him he was asleep.

Natsu flipped up over the back of the couch, landing on the balls of his feet. He needed to see Lucy. He turned the handle. He pushed the bedroom door open just wide enough to allow him space to slip through before sliding it shut again.

Lucy slept with a faint smile on her face. The guilty taste in Natsu's throat came back. Had she slept that way for the rest of the last year, or did she have to cry herself to sleep from being so alone? Natsu remembered the days after Igneel disappeared before he joined Fairy Tail as a child. Though the fire mage wouldn't admit it, there had been many nights like that for him.

Natsu paced toward the bed. He sat down on the floor, his legs splayed out in front of him, and his neck turned to watch Lucy. He rested an arm on the mattress next to her. He didn't have words to describe how much he'd missed her.

His eyes were drawn toward the opposite wall, and his breath caught. A whole wall of her bedroom was dedicated to a map. On it were pinned pictures of the other guild members according to reported sightings, each pin accompanied by detailed notes. He felt a lump forming in his throat, and he bit on his knuckles. Lucy had obviously been hurting the whole time he was gone. Even though he knew that he'd left in large part for her sake, guilt that he hadn't been with her ate at him.

"Natsu?"

He froze. He dared to glance, without turning his head, toward the bed. Lucy was awake, looking down at him with eyebrows creased in concern.

"What's wrong?"

Natsu felt another surge of warmth in his chest. Of course that would be the first thing Lucy would ask him. Not why he was in her room, or why he'd broken one of her two rules, or why he hadn't been with her when the guild parted ways. No, she was asking about him. It was so very Lucy that Natsu couldn't help sitting up to hold her and press his forehead to hers.

"I'm sorry, Luce," he said, one leg bent next to her on the mattress, his other holding his weight up on the floor. "I didn't know."

Lucy pulled out of his arm, and Natsu waited for the expression of disgust and betrayal on her face. Instead, though, she held his hand and guided him onto the bed beside her.

"Sorry for what?"

She lifted the sheets for him to slide under. After a pause, he did, his large hand still held in her small fingers. He didn't lie down, though, but remained sitting up. She propped herself on one elbow to better see him.

"I thought you said we weren't allowed in your room," he said, part out of distraction and part out of genuine surprise he hadn't received a lashing for it. Lucy smiled and shifted closer to him, resting her head against his abdomen.

"That rule was for Happy, not for you," she said. He let his arm fall around her shoulders. "My favorite dragon is welcome so long as he doesn't break anything. But don't change the subject- what are you sorry about?"

Natsu felt the warmth in his chest invade his face, and he was surprised that Lucy didn't seem at all bashful. He turned his eyes from the chocolate orbs he found so endearing and looked back at the wall.

"I wouldn't have gone if I knew the guild wasn't gonna be with you," he said, tightening his arm around her. "I never wanted you to be alone."

Before he knew it, Lucy snaked her way up in his grasp and pressed her lips to his already flushed cheek. The dragon slayer looked back at her as she wrapped an arm over each of his shoulders and pulled him down on the mattress with her.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Natsu," she said, linking her thin fingers with his. "You had no way of knowing what would happen. Even if you did, you couldn't have stopped it."

Lucy propped her head up on her free hand, her gold locks falling to the pillow. A few strands hung in front of her face and tickled Natsu's neck while he looked up at her.

"I may have been alone, but I wasn't lonely," she said, leaning over Natsu and rummaging inside her pillowcase. "Because you kept your promise."

Lucy pulled out a pile of envelopes from her pillowcase and she laid herself on top of Natsu, plopping the stack on his chest. The fire mage stared at the familiar paper before glancing up at her.

"You kept all these," he asked, half overjoyed and half embarrassed. He picked up the stack and noticed that the face of each of them had Lucy's handwriting scrawled on them. One read _Gildarts_ , another _Mushrooms_ , and each of them seemed to have some such label. "I woulda put more effort into writing these if I knew you were gonna save 'em. I mean, I don't even remember a lot of the stuff I sent you."

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes flicked up to meet Lucy's. He adored the feeling of her hands crossed over his bare stomach and the sight of her chin resting on top of them. The disappointed look in her eyes he could do without, though.

"You don't?"

The fire mage backtracked, reaching with a tentative hand to stroke her hair.

"No, it's not that I blew off writing them, it's just," he started, marveling at how good it felt to have her hair in his hand. "I sort of remember the gist of what I said, since it was mostly about what Happy and me were doing. But I really remember thinking it wasn't fair that I couldn't ever get letters back from you."

Natsu was being honest. He had spent many nights wondering what Lucy would write back to him if she could. The celestial spirit mage pulled up his chest and placed a brief kiss to his mouth. Natsu felt a spark somehow ignite all his heightened senses in the same instant.

"I wanted to write back, Natsu," she said, rolling onto her side on top of him. Her legs brushed against his and he could feel her toes against his calves. "I thought about it a lot, because each letter meant so much to me."

Natsu went quiet, his eyes and ears trained on Lucy. He shut out everything except her scent and her body against his.

"I don't know how you did it," she said. "But each one came right when I was feeling low. You were my motivation and your writing kept me going, Natsu. I worked harder than I ever have because I knew you were thinking of me too."

Lucy paused, and Natsu didn't miss the implication she had just made. It made his heart swell in ways he hadn't felt before. As selfish as it seemed, he was happy that Lucy had missed him as much as he did her. He couldn't help smiling at the light blush that coated Lucy's face, or the way she peeked at him as if she had startled herself shy. Bursting with sudden confidence, he decided to break into something he'd wondered about for the past year.

"Lucy, did I do okay communicating?"

The beautiful blond, face still pink, glowed with her smile and placed her hands on his neck.

"You," she said, sliding her fingers up around his head into his unkempt hair. "Did _so_ much better than okay."

Natsu breathed a little easier. Taking another gulp of air, and keeping his eyes on hers, he made his move.

"So are we in a relationship?"

Lucy's hands faltered on his scalp. The blush returned to her face with heavy reinforcements.

"Do you want to be?"

"Deflection! That was a total deflection of my question!"

"I can't answer yours until you do mine!"

"But I asked you first," Natsu pouted, barely containing a grin at how flustered Lucy was, though he didn't feel much different. "Fine, I'll change my first question and then you answer first, then me, then you again."

Lucy hesitated, but nodded, her face hidden and nose pressed against Natsu's chest.

"Do _you_ want to be more than teammates?"

The room went silent. Natsu tried counting the number of heartbeats he could hear from Lucy, but it was going too fast, as was his own. He settled for counting the seconds between each breath Lucy took to keep calm.

"What would change?" She asked.

Natsu let his head sink further into the pillow while he thought. Lucy hadn't followed the rules they'd just agreed to, but he asked the same question of her a year ago, so he deemed it fair that he answer.

"Not a whole lot," he said, feeling comfortable enough now to hug her around the waist with one arm, his other hand mimicking the massage she'd given his scalp. "I might expect less yelling for sharing your bed, and I'll definitely be wanting more of your food. We'll have to hang out every second we can, but we do that anyway. I guess I'll want more hugs and stuff, but you're pretty good at letting me have those."

Natsu felt Lucy tilt her head and rest her cheek on his chest, her fingers curling his pink hair. His skin still tingled wherever he felt her breath.

"Other than that, I'll be doing most of the same stuff, except more so."

He waited for her response. He hoped he hadn't frightened her, but he was being honest like he always was.

"Is there something else I should do?"

Lucy's hands trailed back down his neck and pressed on either side of his head. She pushed up and let her hair dangle down over his face. She smiled.

"No," she said, leaning down toward him. "The princess will take her dragon as he is."

Natsu couldn't help the beaming grin that cracked out on his face, even if it made kissing Lucy awkward. She was smiling into it too. He was glad to see she still was when they broke apart.

"Lu~cy," he trilled, earning a giggle from his favorite wizard. He pulled her to him and wrapped himself around her. "Did I ever tell you how pretty your name is?"

"Yes, actually," Lucy said, and Natsu cocked his head. The celestial spirit mage laughed again. "But it was in a letter, and I'm pretty sure you were high off of some strange mushrooms."

"Really," Natsu said, lifting an arm from around her to scratch his head. "I don't remember that."

Lucy's hand snapped up to grab Natsu's arm and pull it back down. She snaked his arm around her waist and nuzzled her nose against his neck.

"Don't get distracted," she said, returning his embrace. "The dragon always needs to guard his princess. Same as the princess will always take care of her dragon."

Natsu felt the warmth in his chest bloom and threaten to burst from his body. He tightened his hug and kissed Lucy's head.

"Damn straight," he said, smiling. "Stupid knights have nothing on me."

Natsu sank into the mattress, melting at the feeling of Lucy's hands. The day hadn't been perfect. There were a lot of things they needed to fix, first and foremost being the reformation of Fairy Tail. But he'd set his plan in motion later, when Lucy had fallen asleep and he could slip out. He didn't really want to go anywhere right then anyway. Because there, surrounded and loved by Lucy, Natsu was home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sooo. Remember how at the end of the last part I said this was a one shot? Well, I woke up this morning and found a single review for Sweet Something's from an Anonymous Guest asking for more. Apparently sometimes that's all my brain needs for the creative gears to start turning. So here's the other part to this now two shot! (That's a thing, right?)

I have found fluff! I believe this is the fluffiest bit I have ever written. Hopefully it's enjoyable! If so, review! If not, let your cat take a nap on your keyboard and post whatever comes up as a review!


	3. Scales

**A/N:** Oh man, being revolutionary, putting the authors notes before the post! Snap!

You know, maybe I should just quit college and write fan fiction fluff. I seem to be pouring my daily points into it anyway.

Once again, just a single review, (not gonna name names) prompted me to think about adding some more to this now not-one/two-shot. Thanks to that one reviewer! If you like what you read here, post a review like that one person did! Otherwise, hurl your keyboard at the nearest wall (don't worry, I'm sure it's plenty durable) until you've hit enough random keys doing so to constitute a review to post!

 **For reals, to those who reviewed- check the bottom. Otherwise this A/N will bother me and maybe readers.**

Disclaimer: Nope. Still nobody named Shadic on Fairy Tail volume covers.

* * *

 **Scales**

Natsu needed to get out of bed. Fairy Tail couldn't stay disbanded, and he knew they could be brought back together. The problem he had was that he didn't want to move. He came up with an easy fifty reasons why.

And they all started with Lucy.

She looked quite content with her legs locked around his and her arms about his torso. Natsu had discovered through the last few minutes that the celestial spirit mage had a more powerful grip than she let on when she wanted. The dragon slayer knew in the back of his mind that she'd be happier once she found out about his plans. Weighing that one thought against the numerous others that tempted him to stay put, he used his secret technique of swift movement, bed sheets and quick reflexes- the rest he would never tell- to escape.

Natsu tiptoed to Lucy's bedroom door, slipping out into the rest of her apartment. He picked up his scarf from the back of the couch and slung it around his neck. His sharp ears caught the sound of snickering above his head, and he looked up to find Happy with a paw over his mouth. Natsu smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"What're you giggling at," he asked, even as his smirk grew into a grin while he thought about his plan.

"You came from Lucy's room without a shirt," Happy said, hovering in circles about Natsu's head. The fire mage furrowed his eyebrows.

"I went in without a shirt."

"You were in there for a long time, too."

"There a point to this, Happy?"

"You liiiiiike her!" The little Exceed trilled. Natsu put a finger to his lips, signaling him to turn down the volume. The dragon slayer scratched his jaw, thinking for only a moment about what Happy said.

"Yeah," he said, uncertain why it always seemed to bug Lucy so much. "I guess I do."

Before Happy could crash to the floor in sheer dumbfounded shock, Natsu caught him and whispered in his ear. Soon both of them wore the same knowing smirk.

* * *

Lucy huffed. Her dragon was a master of leaving her bed without rousing her. For the second time, she found herself cuddling her bed sheets instead of her favorite dragon slayer. Nonetheless, she gave a contented sigh, rolled out of bed, and stretched.

She caught something different about her map when she opened her eyes. She walked up to the wall to inspect things. She didn't get too far before familiar heat and large hands caught her about the waist from behind in a hug.

"Mornin' Luce."

She squeaked at the contact, her face boiling with a sudden flush.

"G-good morning."

Wait, why did she feel so flustered from proximity to Natsu? She'd been content with touching last night. Pleased, even. Lucy bit her lip, her brain struggling to work while she could almost feel it melting. Was it because they had agreed to share and be more than job partners? Natsu did say he would want more hugs and physical contact. Was she not okay with that for some reason? Did she _want_ to be okay with that?

If Natsu took notice of Lucy's internal rambling, he didn't show it. The fire mage spun his partner around and greeted her with the toothy grin that lit up any part of her day.

"Get dressed quick, princess," he said, snatching a fast peck on her cheek before he released her. "And pack anything important- we're going on an adventure!"

His hand gone from her waist, Lucy felt some of the blood ebb from her face, and her brain began to work again. She smirked and raised an eyebrow, pointing a finger at Natsu.

"That's Princess _Luce_ to you!"

Natsu chuckled. Lucy smiled. She really did prefer his old nickname for her to anything else.

"Okay, weirdo!"

Lucy ground her teeth while Natsu ran out of her bedroom laughing.

"Natsu!"

She shook her head, still smiling despite the tone of her voice. She gathered a set of clothes and walked to her bathroom to change.

Only a few minutes later she was shouting at him again.

"What did you do to bring the King's army to my apartment," she asked, unbelieving that a platoon of soldiers stood outside her building so early in the morning. Natsu exchanged a look with Happy.

"Told ya we were goin' on a new adventure," he said. That was all the explanation he gave before he hoisted her into his arms bridal style and leapt out- _backwards_ \- through her window to the street below. "Now for our daring escape!"

The dragon slayer hit the ground running. They left the King's army bewildered for a few moments before they gave chase. Happy flew to keep pace with Natsu, his grin matching his foster father's. Lucy hadn't even eaten breakfast yet and she felt flustered for the second time that day.

"Natsu," she said, after insisting that he let her run on her own, despite and in part because she couldn't focus as well with his natural body heat surrounding her. "Where are we going?"

Natsu gave her another great grin over his shoulder.

"You wanna get the guild back together, right?"

Lucy's mouth hung open, and it felt like time stopped. Natsu grinned even wider.

"Let's get started!"

The celestial spirit mage felt a smile to match her partner's bloom on her face. Happy tears gathered in her eyes.

"Okay!"

"I can't believe this!" Natsu shouted. Lucy treaded slow steps in front of him, trying to keep him from disrupting the parade in Margaret Town. The blond mage guided him down any street that looked secluded to avoid the main attractions. Her faith in her partner's ability to control his magic during a tantrum was fair at the best of times.

"Calm down," Lucy said, taking his hand in hers. For the umpteenth time that day, she felt a response to the unusual warmth Natsu's body exuded. She managed to keep herself collected, though, maybe because they weren't drawing attention from anyone. Not even a certain magical blue cat, who'd stayed at Lamia Scale to no doubt beg Charla to change Wendy's mind. "The decision had to be hard for her. We did drop it on her kind of suddenly."

Lucy felt a bit of the ache that had lived in her chest the year following Fairy Tail's disbandment sting anew. Natsu's letters did wonders to assuage that pain, but it nonetheless persisted. Lucy hadn't been quite as optimistic or certain as the fire mage about bringing everyone back together. Natsu huffed and took to stomping his feet next to her.

"She oughta be overjoyed that we came to find her," he said, throwing his arm in the air. "There's no good reason that she'd turn down the chance to come back! I refuse to accept this."

Natsu made a one-eighty, and Lucy found herself being dragged back the way they had come.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna take Wendy back with us!"

"No," Lucy said, planting her foot in the cobblestone walkway to halt Natsu's momentum. "You're really _not_ doing that."

Natsu whirled around and brought his face in until their noses were inches apart. The fire mage had that determined glare in his eye. Lucy straightened to her full height and matched his expression.

"She's gonna be upset if she doesn't come with us! There's no way she's as happy here as she would be with Fairy Tail again!"

Lucy poked a finger into his chest.

"You can't know that. And what about her Lamia Scale mark? You can't just erase it without her permission. That's not even mentioning how the rest of Lamia Scale will feel about taking her away by force!"

Natsu looked away from her. He grumbled.

"She can get rid of the mark later," he said, his hand tightening into a fist. "And I can take on anyone who tries to stop me."

Lucy rolled her eyes and pinched his forearm.

"You can't _force_ a girl to do something she doesn't want to, Natsu!"

Lucy glared at her favorite, if stubborn, fire mage from under her bangs. She seethed while he dropped his scowl and his ears perked.

"You can't?"

"No!" She shouted, indignant. She wasn't sure why Natsu seemed occupied, but she was determined not to let him distract her. Nonetheless, her glare fell at the feeling of a rough thumb on her hand and the grin on Natsu's face. She'd forgotten they were still holding hands during the heated exchange.

"So that means," Natsu said, pulling his hand from hers and locking it with his other behind his head. "Nothing you've done with me was because I made you do it, huh?"

A thousand possibilities of what the dragon slayer meant ran through Lucy's mind before she felt her face warming. She glanced down, finding it hard to keep eye contact with him. She figured he was referring to the few intimate moments they had shared. She stammered, frustrated that Natsu managed to rustle her feathers again.

She lost all hesitation when she found the courage to look back up at him, though. His trademark grin shrank from smile to blank expression in less than half an instant, his horror betrayed only by the glimmer of shame in his eyes. Lucy closed the distance between them faster than he could blink.

"No, Natsu, no," she said, hugging him tight. "Never."

Lucy felt his chest expand and shudder with a shaky sigh before he wrapped his arms around her.

"Shit, Luce," he said, nuzzling his nose in her hair. "Don't scare me like that."

Lucy felt regret fester in her gut for whatever amount of time she had taken to answer. Her dragon kept surprising her with new aspects of himself just when she thought she had him pegged. When would she ever have guessed he hid these kinds of insecurities beneath his tough scales?

She caught the sound of footsteps and hushed murmuring passing by them, and she yanked herself back. Even if there weren't a lot of people, they were in too public a space for this conversation. Lucy was almost certain Natsu could care less, but she still didn't know if or how much she cared. She took back his hand and laced their fingers together- she knew that much sat fine with her.

"We'll wait around long enough to hear out Wendy's reasons," she said. "But if she stands by her choice after that, we respect it. Okay?"

Lucy watched Natsu's eyes follow her and trail down to their hands. He blinked a few times. He had pulled his typical grin back up by the time he met her gaze with his.

"All right, Lucy."

Lucy watched Wendy tend to Juvia's fever. The celestial spirit mage had a special regard for the former Elemental despite her tendency to imagine her as a Love Rival. Juvia was a dear friend. Lucy couldn't help but think Gray had to be at least somewhat callous to leave her the way he did.

She turned from Wendy's nursing to the window, where Natsu stood glaring out at the perpetual rain. Beyond promising Juvia that he'd bring Gray back, the pink-haired dragon slayer hadn't said a word to anyone. Happy was perched on top of his head, waving a paw in front of Natsu's face. Lucy stifled a giggle, seeing Happy's tail hanging from the back of Natsu's head.

Somehow, that sound broke the fire mage from his trance. He whipped his head around, startling Happy and sending the blue Exceed tumbling down his shoulder.

"Ow~" Happy moaned, rubbing at his forehead where he'd landed. He pouted at Natsu with watery eyes. "Natsu, what was that for?"

The dragon slayer still didn't say a word. Lucy noticed his hard expression soften, and he knelt down to scoop the little cat into his arms. He placed a palm pulsing with fire magic to Happy's forehead. The Exceed's whimpers petered out, and, with his fur now dry due to Natsu's heat, he sighed. Natsu rubbed a thumb against the back of Happy's ear. Happy rewarded him with a contented purr.

"Sorry, little buddy."

Lucy watched all this from the other side of the cabin Juvia and Gray had shared. Natsu's eyes flickered up to see her, and she blushed. Whether from his look or embarrassment over being caught looking herself, she couldn't tell. Natsu whispered something to Happy and the cat jumped to the ground, landing on his feet this time. The fire mage paced over to her, his face still serious. She couldn't think of anything to say, so when he reached for her hand, she gave it to him.

"Wendy," Natsu said, placing his other hand on the younger dragon slayer's head. "We're going to visit Sabertooth. Take care of her, okay?"

Wendy didn't question Natsu's sudden decision, rather nodded and assured him she'd break Juvia's fever. Lucy found herself raiding one of the town's stables for a horse with Natsu little more than a minute after. The dragon slayer pulled her up behind him the second he found one and they galloped off. Happy trailed not far behind them in the air.

"Natsu," Lucy said, finally finding her voice. "What are you thinking?"

The celestial spirit mage didn't get an immediate response. The first time she did, she lost his answer under hooves beating the ground.

"What?"

"I said," Natsu reiterated, raising his voice. "I don't ever wanna find out that you forgot to take care of yourself just 'cause I wasn't around."

Lucy had half a dozen replies on the tip of her tongue vying for preference. Natsu hadn't told her much of anything about his plan to find Gray, which was what she'd been asking after. Even though her first instinct was to defend Juvia, Lucy pushed her initial curiosity.

"What does Sabertooth have to do with finding Gray?"

To her surprise, and subsequent arm-flailing terror, Natsu swiveled on the horse so he was riding backwards. The fire mage ignored her pleas for him to watch where they were going.

"Luce," he said. "Do you trust me?"

Lucy paused in her panic attack to regard him. Did she trust Natsu? _Natsu_? She couldn't think of anyone she shared so much of herself with except her own mother. The man saved her life, protected, encouraged and assured her like he'd signed some sort of contract in blood.

"If you do," Natsu said. "Believe me when I say I gotta good reason for not telling you."

Lucy glanced away from Natsu's sincere eyes before she shrieked at him again to watch where they were going.

Lucy groaned and wrestled against her restraints. How long had it been since she and Natsu had found Gray? Hours somehow turned into both days and minutes when she was with the pink-haired fire mage. She was too upset to linger on the sentiment, however.

"I can't believe him!" She shouted, grinding her teeth while she struggled. Happy whined in agreement. Gray betrayed them! Lucy couldn't justify it even if she wanted to; the ice wizard had abandoned his family.

"Lucy," Natsu said. The fire mage, perhaps a bit out of character, hadn't made nearly as much noise or fuss over being locked up. His eyes held the same determination they ever did, but Lucy couldn't fathom why he wasn't up in arms and barking out threats like he had many other times. "Relax. You might hurt yourself."

The celestial spirit mage whipped her head toward Natsu and all but spit at him.

"How can you sit there and tell me to relax," she asked, appalled. "Gray put us here and basically sentenced us to die!"

Natsu looked back at her in silence for a moment before he answered.

"Oh yeah," he said, chuckling a little. "I'm definitely gonna kick Ice Cube's ass for bein' a prick after this. But let's give 'im the benefit of the doubt. I mean, his so-called friends hurt ya, yeah, but _he_ didn't, right?"

Lucy took a moment to look at Natsu before she responded. The dragon slayer apparently interpreted that brief instant as confirmation. Just seeing the way he snarled reminded the celestial spirit mage all over again why dark guilds feared the name Salamander.

"I'll tear that fucker to pieces," Natsu said, muscles tensing inside his restraints. "I'll rip out these Avatar bastards' guts and feed them to 'im with a"

"No!" Lucy said, shuddering to think how her dragon might have gone on about carnage wreaked. "No, Gray didn't hurt me."

The inferno in Natsu's onyx eyes flared once before dying down.

"Oh."

Lucy swallowed, shaking off the various physical reactions she'd had to Natsu's display.

"That aside," she said, frustration laced in her tone. "Why are you even defending him?"

"Because I hope I'm wrong."

"About what? Whatever you _still_ won't explain to me?"

Natsu flinched and broke eye contact with her.

"I told you I had a good reason."

"Good enough to justify being thrown in a dungeon?" Lucy asked, adding a bite to the last word. Natsu made an aggravated humming noise, and glanced back at her.

"I don't want your opinion of him to change," he said, shifting his feet against the chains attached to the wall. Lucy wondered where Natsu had kept this side of himself hidden, but couldn't prevent the sarcastic laugh she answered with.

"Kind of late for that, isn't it?"

"Well."

Lucy froze, turning toward the stairs leading down to the dungeon. She schooled her expression into a spiteful scowl at the familiar figure that appeared. Gray's face remained blank as he strode up to the cell and opened the door. The ice mage stepped inside, regarding Lucy and her companions. His eyes softened and he made an apologetic smile.

"I really hope not," he said.

* * *

Natsu watched from a distance while the others cooed and smiled at Gray holding Frosch. The fire wizard felt a smile take root on his face and he scratched the back of his head.

"Something the matter?"

Natsu shook his head without even turning to see the source of the voice like music to his sensitive ears. He reached for Lucy's hand, still reveling in how much easier he could breathe because of what he saw.

"No," he said, finding the hand he'd been groping for. He gave it a light squeeze. "Everything's all right now."

Natsu could have complained about a lot of things, but he didn't have the nerve. After he heard Juvia talk about Gray's disappearance, the dragon slayer had been apprehensive and worried that something terrible would happen. He still remembered the warning Rogue's future self had given him before disappearing. That memory came packaged with a reminder that he'd failed to save Lucy's future self. At the moment, though, Natsu felt certain any chance of that darkness visiting _his_ family, his Lucy, was gone.

"Are you going to explain things to me now?"

Natsu felt another small hand take the place of the first. Lucy's right hand hooked on his waist. The fire mage looked down and just smiled at the curious chocolate eyes he adored. He chuckled to himself at Lucy's flush when he pulled her toward him and pressed their foreheads together.

"It's not important anymore," he said, closing his eyes. He knew there would be other threats to Fairy Tail and to Lucy that would need to be crushed. But he felt more equipped to handle that. Time travel talk tended to confuse him. "We protected our future again. That's all that matters."

* * *

Anonymous Guest- (Because I didn't give you true props last time): Thanks for reading! You may flatter me a bit much, but I'm overjoyed that you thought it was so good! I hope the rest I've been adding lives up to expectations!

MarS (I can abbreviate your name, can't I? Sorry if that's rude.) - I'm glad it lives up to it's original name. Thanks for reading and taking the time to review!

Guest87- Aw, c'mon, now you got me all flustered! To say that I can write fan fiction with Mashima's characters being... well, in character, is about the highest compliment there is. I sorta toned down the feels and turned up the... er, realism, I guess, for this one. I hope I still managed to keep Natsu and Lucy's essence pure. Thanks for reading!

Mirai- Haha! If canon went anything like this, what would those of us FT fans have to fluff about? Thank you very much! I'm admittedly an avid reader of fluff, though only recent writer of!

KawaiPanda- Thank you very much for reading and posting! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

SlightlyOff7- Whoa! A computer literate cat! I'm honored that you took the time out of your precious sleeping hours to read and respond to my humble submission to this site! You wouldn't perchance also have wings, would you?


	4. An Omake to Fluff: In which Gray

Disclaimer: In the past... not even hour, Fairy Tail ownership has not changed hands. Support Hiro Mashima.

* * *

 **An Omake to Fluff: In which Gray does NOT wet himself**

Alternatively- **Scales + 1**

Gray understood that it had been a while since he'd last seen Natsu. The litany of new insulting names the ice mage had for him in his head served as an ample testament to that fact.

Something Gray didn't understand was the new expression captain matchstick had picked up. He must have learned it during the last year, because Gray knew he hadn't seen it before. The fact that this new face- consisting of perfect, calm facial features offset by being too rigid- appeared to be aimed at Gray only made it creepier.

Granted, Gray didn't know what to expect from the living furnace when he came down to Avatar's dungeon to let him out along with Lucy and Happy. Gratitude would've been too much to ask for and resentment seemed too subtle a concept for the burning brain-dead to grasp.

The devil slayer got a feel for what Natsu's new face meant on their way out of the base. They spotted one of the no-name low lives that hung about the place, and while Gray had opted to find a way past him, Natsu called to the guy.

"Yo," he said, ignoring Gray's urgent shushing. "You with these Avatar assholes?"

The unknown goon cried out about the prisoners having escaped. Gray swore, readying his ice magic before Natsu pointed him toward Lucy.

"Do me a favor for once, cold crotch," he said, a very fake smile masking whatever mayhem lurked behind it. "Take Luce and Happy with you toward the exit. I have something to take care of."

Gray almost protested before Natsu just about teleported to close the distance between them and the now yelling underling. The dragon slayer called over his shoulder at him to cover Lucy's ears. He advised Happy to do the same for himself. Gray turned his head away after staying to watch the first blow Natsu struck. He pushed Lucy down the right path in front of him while he kept his hands clamped over her ears. He couldn't hear any complaints the blond may have made over the various- and _graphic_ \- screams that followed the echoing crackle of flame.

After they got out of the building, they had to wait for the pink-haired firecracker to stroll into sight. The insane part was that he whistled while he approached, even as he hastily wiped blood from his hands on the back of his pants. Lucy asked if he was all right, to which he'd given his usual eyesore of a grin. They ran toward the point they had set to meet Erza.

"Was that really necessary," Gray asked, keeping his voice even while they ran. "That guy never even did much that I can remember."

Natsu just looked at him.

"Whatever you _think_ I did," the fire freak replied. "I did 'cause he made the mistake of associatin' with people who hurt Lucy."

Gray stared hard at his rival's stupid face. When did he read enough to learn a word as big as 'associating'?

"Only reason I haven't put your ass between your ears where it belongs," Natsu said, turning away from him. "Is 'cause I promised Juvia I'd bring you back in one piece."

Gray sputtered, then scoffed. He wished he felt as cocky as he hoped he sounded.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay. I admit it. This bit didn't come from any reviews left. No, this one was part wanting to add something to Scales in the first thirty minutes after posting it, and very large part guilty pleasure playing around with BroTP DragBuster. (That's what I choose to call the BroTP from now on.) I appreciate this doesn't fall into the same category or genre as the rest of the stuff I've posted for this, but I'll be darned if I didn't make myself laugh reading it. Feel free to skip over it. If not, it's fairly easy to figure out where in Scales this belongs. If you have a review to post for Scales, put it either here or under... well, Scales. I'll respond to any of them in the next part.

If _any_ part of this made you laugh, giggle, snort, or even smile... tell your family you love them. And then ask them to leave a review. Till next time!


	5. Lynchpin

Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima has a death grip on this property... uh, though I assure you, last I checked he was very much still alive.

* * *

 **Lynchpin**

Lucy hung back. She wasn't ready for this. Rejection never sat well with anyone, but she'd known it's scathing bite too often in her childhood to just walk into another chance to meet with it. What if-

"Luce?"

The celestial spirit mage turned to see her partner eying her with concern. Natsu urged Wendy to go on ahead and closed the distance between them. He didn't say anything, but waited. Lucy shifted her weight from one foot to the other, not meeting his onyx eyes. She heard Natsu sigh.

"Nervous?"

She chuckled without humor.

"Is it that obvious?"

She peeked at him. He crossed his hands behind his head.

"I mean, yeah," he said, a gentle smile aimed at her. "I can sorta smell it."

Lucy scrunched up her nose, even while a flush ran up her neck.

"Don't be gross."

"Just saying," Natsu said, shrugging. He stepped closer and hooked an arm over her shoulder. "C'mon, Luce. Talk to me."

Lucy couldn't help smiling at her favorite fire mage. She fiddled with her hands, tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"I'm just anxious," she said, taking a deep breath. "I have no idea how the others will have changed since I last saw them. They may not even want to get back together now."

In a voice so quiet she half-hoped he couldn't hear her, she whispered.

"May not want to see me."

Lucy's face burned at the sound of Natsu laughing, the shoulder holding his arm now being used as support. The dragon slayer slapped his face with his other palm, almost cackling. The celestial spirit mage shook and glared at the ground with enough intensity to melt it.

"It's not funny," she said, tears threatening to burn her eyes. She trusted Natsu with her insecurity and he _laughed_? Lucy didn't know if she felt more shocked or outright angry. She gave a high-pitched yelp when Natsu's other hand clamped on her shoulder and he brought up her chin in his fingers. He leaned toward her until their noses were touching. His eyes burrowed into hers with a sudden seriousness.

"It's hilarious," he said, his words so out of sync with his tone that, were Lucy not still wrestling with anxiety, she'd have been splitting her sides. "The thought that anyone would be less than ecstatic to hear from ya after a year? That's _absurd_ , Luce."

Lucy sniffled. Where did he keep these surprises hidden? Did he hoard them the way dragons of legend hoard treasure? Lucy swallowed, very aware of the proximity of their bodies now that she had calmed a bit.

"I mean, shit," he said, pulling his head back up from hers. "You were more than reason enough for me to come back."

Lucy let her eyes trail down again and mumbled.

"You came back for the guild," she said, skirting the toe of her boot against the pavement. "You just didn't know what had happened."

Natsu poked her forehead and gave a gentle smirk.

"I wanted to see the others, sure," he said, using the hand that poked her to pull her in for a hug. "But you were always first on my list of things to do when I got back."

Lucy pursed her lips to keep all the emotions that welled up from spilling out. She didn't resist the hug, but she also didn't return it. She just looked up at him and absorbed the sincerity of his face with admiration in her heart. Natsu's ear twitched and he sighed again.

"Look, we're still a few blocks from the spot," he started, turning toward the street Lucy had suggested for everyone to meet. "But if it helps any, I can tell you"

"No," Lucy said, tugging Natsu's sleeve. "Don't do that."

Natsu looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. Lucy kept her voice even, pulling out of his embrace.

"You can't fight every battle for me, Natsu," she said, hurrying on through the rest before he could argue. "I have to be able to handle this sooner or later."

Lucy exhaled and closed her eyes. She straightened her posture. She heard a little chuckle and her eyes snapped back open when she felt Natsu's warm hand cupping her neck. His thumb slanted up and down her cheek. Lucy glanced up to catch him smiling at her. His face expressed something between pride and adoration that made her pulse quicken more than it already had.

"There's my princess," Natsu said, stroking her cheek once more before he took her hand with his. "Whenever you're ready."

Lucy felt an overwhelming flood of affection toward her dragon. Despite the public setting, she took after Natsu's example and stemmed the flow of her sudden fondness by pecking his cheek. Without waiting to see his face change color, she beamed and pulled him along to see the rest of their family.

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoa, we're down here already? Man! Yeah, this installment is shorter, not the shortest (omake takes that prize), but still. Partly blame college. We'll see how the pace goes from here on. Regardless, I hope it's good! If you enjoyed reading it, review! If you didn't, scrap your desktop keyboard, wait for the shipping process to bring you a new one, and then be filled with such newfound joy that you can use your computer again that you just _have_ to type something in the review box! Shadic out!

 **Psyche! Review reply time!**

GxSBB: Thank you for reading and for reviewing the piece! I'm enjoying this more than I would have expected too, it's like it's impossible to quit! Hopefully you continue to enjoy!

MarS (I have confirmation. I CAN use this abbreviation. Yes.): Glad it still keeps your interest! I look forward to your continued readership! (Huh. That actually doesn't create a red squiggly misspelled line. Who knew?)

SlightlyOff7: Yes, yes, wings would be quite useful in many endeavors. I can fully empathize with your desire for cookies. Perhaps we can arrange something? Thank you for reading them! I shall do my modest best to deliver on domestic scenes, I must agree they are enjoyable! Ah, please, don't let me keep you up.

Guest87 (I can't freaking see your review on the site for some reason but I got the email, I KNOW it's there!): Golly gee! You've got me flustered all over again, thank you very much! Ha ha, I'm so glad you liked the Omake! I was a bit of a mix between high on laughter and nervous that it might not fit in, but it seems I did okay! Awesome! Once again, you give me high praise- I do enjoy a romp inside the heads of beloved characters. Thank you for continuing to read and review!


	6. Desire

Disclaimer: I been doing this at least once a day for the last... five days, and I still don't own Fairy Tail. (It's worth it anyway!)

* * *

 **Desire**

Fuck. Boats. Natsu received a reminder with each lurch of his stomach how much he loathed transportation, and how much he hated the necessity of them to help his friends. He took part in a duet of verbalized agony with Wendy in the ship's cabin. He hoped that shore showed up soon so they could find gramps. He wondered if he imagined that sound of the door opening.

"Natsu?"

The dragon slayer moaned. Unless he was in the midst of some fever dream, his favorite blond had come to check on him. He had mixed feelings on the idea; he cherished every second he got with Lucy, but he knew that there would be consequences rivaling Erza's wrath if he hurled anywhere near his more-than-job-partner.

"How are you doing?"

Natsu reached a sweaty hand out to his side from the cot he lay on. He gave several pathetic swipes of his arm before it came in contact with soft skin. Words were hard for him, so instead he turned his fuzzy gaze toward where he thought Lucy was and groaned.

"Okay then," Lucy said. "Lift your head up."

Natsu did his best to comply, his cheeks bloating at a rather violent sway of the boat. The fire mage tried sitting still while upright.

"Natsu, you can lie down again now."

More than happy to oblige, he plopped his head onto some kind of angel pillow that fit the curve of his neck just right. His senses began functioning closer to normal when delicate fingers ran through his hair and pressed gently against his scalp. After a few minutes, his breathing evened out, and he saw Lucy's delightful brown eyes peering down at him.

"Yer a beautiful person, Luce," he said, a half-cocked smile tickling its way onto his face. "I could do transportation for days like this."

He let his eyelids droop, listening to Lucy smile- somehow he had picked up an ability to _hear_ it.

"You act surprised every mission that transportation is involved," she said. Natsu hummed, nuzzling his head against Lucy's thigh. How was it even possible for a person to be so comfortable? Not that he had a ton of experience putting his head in laps. Apart from Lucy, Erza was the only one who ever allowed it, and he shuddered; because he didn't want to know what Erza would do if she caught wind that he preferred Lucy to her. The redhead would get the wrong idea and punish him for having impure intentions. "Did you really expect us to swim to Alvarez?"

Natsu started sticking out his tongue before his stomach reminded him that wasn't a great idea. He settled for pouting.

"A guy's allowed to fantasize, right?"

He felt himself falling into his dream palace- a place he visited on rare occasions. The fire mage couldn't get there except when he crashed after a great fight or when he was half-conscious and surrounded by Lucy's scent. He turned his head toward her tummy, rambling somewhere between lucid and incoherent.

"Hell, I got more'n a few 'bout you."

The fingers halted in their tracing patterns on his head.

Shit. Did he say that out loud? He pulled out of his haze to listen to Lucy's pulse- yep. She heard him. His eyes snapped open, and he looked up at her face. The dragon slayer knew somewhere in his mind that he ought to backtrack; but a nagging voice wondered if maybe he should let Erza punish him a little. Because _damn_ if Natsu didn't enjoy the view of Lucy from his position- he had a special appreciation for that particular deep shade of red running up her neck to the tips of her ears. It looked so enticing and went well against her blond hair.

A whimper of discomfort from Wendy brought him back to reality. He feigned relapse of his motion sickness- which proved easier than he would have liked- to divert attention from what he'd let slip.

"Luce," he garbled, "Dragon needs help."

"Right," Lucy said, resuming the massage. Natsu saw her turn her face toward the wall of the cabin and she placed her other hand over his eyes. "Sorry."

He'd made it awkward. He didn't want to make things awkward. Natsu needed to talk about something else and why did he feel a surging desire to know what her hand tasted like? Was he turning into Mest? _No._ Bad Natsu, do not pull her hand from your eyes. Do not sniff it. Don't- okay, rubbing her knuckles and tracing all the nuances of her skin feels nice. Oh, wait, stop, don't put that in your mouth, she's going to revoke all your lap-laying privileges. Hell, that's the _least_ she's gonna do, put your damn tongue back. Dude, it's a hand, just her hand, so what if it smells good- sweet Mavis could it even be legal for Lucy to be so delectable?

"I wonder how Master is doing."

"Buh?"

Natsu was saved from his trip to a private heaven of temptation by Lucy's voice breaking into it. Rather, he'd been saved from taking any sort of alienating action based on what he saw during his daze. The dream palace held such allure that it took all his willpower to keep from sinking back into it.

"You mean Erza," he asked, hoping to lighten the mood. He also hoped to distract himself from the burning sensation of his insides now that he was a trifle more lucid. "Pretty sure she's fine. Was last I seen her."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Natsu felt relieved that much of the red had receded in her face. Disappointed, too, but relieved for the most part.

"I mean Makarov, Natsu," she said, using the hand that had covered his eyes to flick his ear. Natsu swallowed, wondering if Lucy knew how much he felt she was teasing him. A sudden cessation of the boat's swaying told them they had reached shore. The dragon slayer felt an instant improvement in his ability to function, and, giving one more, fond nuzzle to Lucy's thigh, he leapt up.

Natsu looked at his favorite celestial spirit mage. The fire breather knew from the last few days that Lucy didn't feel comfortable with intimate physical contact when they weren't sharing a bed. He didn't understand why, since he enjoyed it just the same in or out of the bedroom. He stretched and shrugged. He didn't mind. He just attributed it to Lucy being weirdo Lucy. And Natsu liked his weirdo Lucy. He smiled at her and took her wrist to pull her up.

"'M sure he's fine. He's gramps, after all," he said, running out of the cabin. He had little immediate want in his life beyond getting off the cursed form of transportation and bringing Lucy with him. "If not, I'll burn this empire to the ground until we find him!"

* * *

Everyone on the team had taken to the idea of trying to blend in with the locals of the island without complaint. Beach attire for an island made sense to everyone. It brought up just one, though nonetheless potent, problem. A certain celestial spirit mage was distracted to all hell because of it.

Lucy wasn't shallow. Since she had joined Fairy Tail, she spent most of her waking hours in the company of numerous very attractive men of different shapes and sizes. And she hadn't been one to ogle any of them beyond what was appropriate; one of her teammates had a stripping habit, after all. Hence her confusion regarding why she had to fight to keep her eyes above Natsu's bared stomach and chest.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't seen them before- though he didn't have Gray's problem, Natsu seemed to have an occasional issue getting through a fight with his shirt or vest intact. He had a tendency to wear his vest open all the time anyway. Why did she feel the heat exuded by Natsu so much more acutely just because he didn't have anything covering him from the waist upwards?

Her saving grace seemed to be that if her favorite fire mage noticed her more than occasional lingering glances in his direction, he didn't comment on it. Lucy should have been more worried about whether any of the rest of the team would say anything, but after what Natsu said on the boat, her mind had overclocked.

Her partner harbored fantasies that didn't involve fighting, food, or the lack of transportation inside his cute pink head? More to the point, he had fantasies about _her_? Lucy hadn't forgotten the implications of the flirting they'd traded the night before he left a year ago, but something about the word fantasy said more than that. As far as she understood, it often meant thoughts about the explicit; mutual heavy breathing, lewd noises, the exploration of sweaty bodies and the stimulation of sensitive-

"She ain't a ride, jackass!"

Lucy was rescued from the fate of having her brain liquefy and spill out of her head by the very source of her momentary overheat. She came back to reality to see Natsu decking some tourist in the jaw and sending him crashing into the sand. The fire dragon slayer's nostrils flared and he fixed the poor guy with a glare that could pierce Gajeel's head. Further on, Gray must have heard the impact because he came running toward them. The others continued on their way.

"What the hell, Sakura blossom?"

Lucy tilted her head, perplexed, before she realized the ice mage was referring to Natsu's hair color.

"The guy was"

"I got a pretty good guess what the asshole did, candlewick tits. Just be glad I caught you and Erza didn't."

Gray picked up the victim, now unconscious, and walked off toward some heavy foliage inland. He called over his shoulder.

"You two keep walking on ahead," he said, never breaking stride. "I'll dispose of the evidence."

Lucy shivered at Gray's last comment before Natsu took her hand and pulled her forward. The celestial spirit mage forced her eyes off of the dragon slayer's back and walked to keep pace with him.

"What was that about," she asked, hovering between confusion and concern at the dark expression Natsu wore. Her favorite fire mage grumbled.

"Nothin'," he said, refusing to make eye contact with her. "Just didn't like his face."

"Not even you go hauling off on people like that for no reason," Lucy persisted, pulling ahead of him to try slowing him down. She ended up walking backwards for several paces before her strategy showed any signs of working. "What's bothering you?"

Natsu stopped in the sand, still keeping his gaze above Lucy's face. The blond had to pull his head down before he relented and looked at her. His tense jaw relaxed as she skirted the curve of his neck with her fingers. She struggled to keep her eyes from wandering, but taking care of Natsu held priority. The fire mage took her hand in his and brought it up to his face. He sniffed and closed his eyes. When he sighed, Lucy felt goose bumps follow the path of his breath.

"He was sizing you up," he said, opening his eyes and tracing the pattern of her guild mark with his thumb. "An' he was doin' gross things to you with his eyes. Didn't like it, so I put a stop to it."

Lucy felt a combination of exasperation and fondness for her dragon in response to his explanation. She convinced her eyes to focus on the way his scarf held up his hair, pretending that was the most interesting feature of his on display.

"Natsu," she said, resisting the urge to hug him for fear of what it might do to her ability to form sentences. "You can't go knocking out every guy that _looks_ at me."

The dragon slayer took this as a challenge. He flashed her favorite grin at her and answered in a low, rumbling tone that made her shiver.

"Sure I can. Watch me."

Lucy wrestled with the fire building in her veins and the rising temperature in her face. She rolled her eyes, trying to at least feign irritation.

"I'm sure you can," she said, running her other hand along his shoulder in an attempt to satiate her want for contact with him. She made an internal groan when she only managed to make it worse. "But that doesn't mean you should. It's more trouble than it's worth. And I can handle myself, Natsu."

She put as much indignation and firmness on the last part as she could muster in her flustered state. She brought her eyes back and locked them onto his onyx orbs. She watched the thoughts tossing and turning in his mind, smiling at the contortions of his eyebrows while he considered things. She almost turned to mush when he made a sudden motion to hug her that she was powerless to resist.

"Was just protecting what's mine," he said into her hair. Lucy felt immense relief and a little frustration that he kept his arms above the small of her back. "Being a dragon and all."

The spirit mage smiled against his chest, reveling in the subtle difference between the warmth he put out and the heat her feet picked up from the sand they stood on.

"And you're doing fine," she said, placing a quick kiss to his collarbone. "The princess is very pleased."

She could feel that Natsu was about to reply when the sound of footsteps approaching prompted them to break apart. Gray appeared none the wiser.

"All right, volcano top, I took care of it," he said, not waiting for any sign of thanks from Natsu. "Just don't pop off prematurely again."

Lucy stepped behind Natsu to avoid being seen by Gray. Her face felt hot enough to cook eggs on. She did _not_ need to hear the term 'premature' in relation to Natsu when said fire mage was so close and shirtless. Gray gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"Though, I can only imagine that's _really_ hard for you not to do."

Natsu evidently understood the implication, because he stormed away from Lucy toward Gray.

"That tears it, glacier brain! Let's go, right here!"

"What does that even mean, sulfur sucker?"

"I'm saying you're _slow_ , Popsicle perv!"

"Are you two fighting?"

Needless to say, they got back on track after that, Lucy's flush notwithstanding.

Lucy learned something about Natsu's perspective later on, after their encounter with one of the Spriggan twelve had forced them to look for an alternative means of finding Makarov. Mest had teleported everyone to the temple of Olympia underwater. Lucy had been willing to let bygones be bygones when she found out the spy they were meeting was Sorano, despite the history between them and the grief she had caused Leo.

All bets were off when the white-haired... Lucy resisted using a certain word that she saved for the worst of people- began coddling Natsu during the ride to wherever Makarov was. Lucy fumed while Sorano played with and teased the fire dragon slayer, taking advantage of his weakened state to act the shameless flirt. She even used the same method to ease his agony- that was Lucy's job!

"I didn't notice you were such an intriguing specimen last time we _tussled_ ," she said, using one hand to draw imaginary maps and diagrams on Natsu's abdomen. "I suppose I should be glad I failed killing you."

To the fire mage's credit, even though he seemed a bit more conscious thanks to Sorano's treatment, he didn't have much of a reaction to her advances. Lucy felt a smidgen of comfort in the idea that maybe he only registered sexual undertones if they came from her. But still, she couldn't understand why Sorano was being allowed to have her way with him!

Lucy looked over, not without a bit of frustration, toward the rest of the team, who seemed oblivious to the proceedings. They were discussing strategy for extracting Makarov, which she knew was important, but no one else felt bothered by this? It didn't strike anyone as odd that Sorano tended to Natsu and leered at him when there was another, younger dragon slayer that could use comforting and assistance just as much? The last straw came when Sorano wiped some of the sweat off Natsu's brow and licked her finger. Lucy almost retched.

The blond spirit mage called to Charla in a voice so sweet it bordered on excessive. When the transformed Exceed answered, Lucy posed her request with the most unassuming face she could muster.

"Would you mind covering Wendy's ears?" She asked. Lucy wasn't exactly a Puritan, but she knew the younger dragon slayer had a heightened sense of hearing, and she still wanted to protect her innocence. When Charla questioned her reasons, Lucy let a bit of the mayhem in her heart flicker into her expression.

"Because I asked so nicely."

The female Exceed, who didn't intimidate easy, shivered before complying. The second Lucy was certain Wendy wouldn't hear her, she snatched Sorano's wrist in her hand.

"Hey"

"Not too loud, now," Lucy said, maintaining her pleasant expression. She never thought she'd be thankful for all the practice with faking a smile from her days as a Heartfilia, but it proved quite useful sometimes. "I just wanted to say, I really do appreciate you helping us, Angel."

Lucy put extra emphasis on Sorano's former moniker. She tightened her grip on the other woman's wrist and leaned in closer.

"But," she continued, letting her malice break into her smile when she was sure no one but Sorano- maybe Natsu- could see. "Don't presume that means you can get cozy with _my_ dragon. I'd advise you tread carefully."

Sorano, who, to Lucy's satisfaction, was sweating, nonetheless scoffed.

"Or what?" She asked.

"No," Lucy said, leaning in close enough to almost whisper. "No threats from me, just the advice. If you want one, though," Lucy giggled without any trace of levity. "Use your imagination."

Lucy held Sorano by the wrist for another minute before she released her. Though she managed a nice facade of turning up her nose and walking away, Lucy noticed the way she massaged her wrist and moved in a bit too much of a hurry. She gave a small pump of her fist in victory and took her rightful place by her favorite dragon slayer.

"Wow," Natsu said, looking up at her with eyes that Lucy thought were filled with awe. "I didn't know you had it in ya, Luce."

Lucy suppressed the smile that took root on her face and put on an air of nonchalance.

"I just don't like when people try doing my job for me," she said, cupping Natsu's jaw with one hand while she stroked his hair with the other. "You're my dragon to take care of."

Lucy felt a bit of pride at the blush that stung Natsu's cheeks, and reveled in the sound of his laugh.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side."

The celestial spirit mage giggled.

"You," she said, tracing the scar on his neck with her fingertips. "Would have to do much worse than anything I could imagine to end up there."

Natsu rewarded Lucy with the grin she loved so much.

"Um, may I uncover Wendy's ears now?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Back again! I put in a bunch of implicit stuff about suggestive things in this chapter. And I started it with an F-bomb! Do I get my T rating certificate now?

This one was seriously fun to write! I loved exploring this side of Natsu and Lucy's relationship, probably because I have only a very vague idea of what I was doing. I hope it's also fun to read! Thanks to everyone whose read the previous chapters, and to those who haven't but read some of them and... ended up here some way or another, thank you too! If you felt a little bit of joy while reading this, leave a review! If you didn't, tap out a rhythm on your keyboard and post whatever you've typed up as a review!


	7. Omake Take Two: Wherein Erza

Disclaimer: If you've read anything in this story, you've at least seen the words 'Fairy Tail', 'own' and 'not' above each chapter title.

* * *

 **Omake Take Two: Wherein Erza admits she has a problem**

Erza Scarlet had many things to love about her life. At the top of the list sat strawberry cheesecake and a certain blue-haired former wizard saint. She also loved her Fairy Tail family, which was one of the several reasons she took it upon herself to act as an elder sister/surrogate mother figure to many of the younger guild members.

Erza Scarlet was also not a fool. Though they may have been sneaky, the redhead had picked up on how Natsu enjoyed the company and physical contact of a particular celestial spirit mage a bit too much to escape suspicion. There hadn't been an appropriate time to confront the reckless dragon slayer about it in Alvarez or during the explanation of Fairy Heart by Mavis. After the rest of the guild set out to aid in evacuating Magnolia and prepare for war, however, Titania pulled him aside.

She knew Natsu cared for his family with as much passion as she did, but while she trusted him with her life in a fight, she had doubts about his delicacy. Yes, Erza had sincere, very reasonable, very _appropriate_ concerns regarding Natsu's approach to romantic feelings. She sought only to educate and support him and protect Lucy's sanctity.

"Natsu," she began, going over in her head the lengthy speech she had ready for the occasion. "I know that you are in the age of your life that leads many young males to seek out sexual intercourse with others."

Erza paid no mind to the sweat dripping down Natsu's brow. He kept his mouth pursed closed, no doubt pleased and glad that one such as Erza had noticed his predicament and taken the responsibility of helping him.

"However," she continued. "I must warn you, in the interest of not inflicting injury unto Lucy"

The fire dragon slayer's face, which had been pale, regained its color and his expression changed from one of mortification to severe alarm.

"Who's gonna hurt Lucy?" He demanded, his magic igniting while he gripped and shook Erza by her arms.

Erza didn't get through her entire talk, but as she snacked on a piece of strawberry cheesecake in her room at Fairy Hills, she reasoned that it hadn't been necessary anyway. Natsu clearly cared too much about Lucy's well being to ever cause her harm or take advantage of her. The requip mage closed her eyes and nodded in approval. She respected the dragon slayer for his appreciation of what was important.

Granted, she only came to this conclusion after she'd given him the beating of his life for interrupting her in the middle of a topic as critical as romance. Wendy had been near at hand, so none of his injuries necessitated worry. Erza _did_ respect Natsu- she respected him straight into the ground.

Sitting in her room considering the topic of love and enjoying the sacred dessert, Erza became lost in the wanderings of her mind. When the image of Jellal clad in nothing but frosting, cake batter lining his stomach and holding a strawberry in his mouth by the stem, Erza felt her face flush. She admitted then that she might, maybe, have a _slight_ addiction to strawberry cheesecake. Of course, she still took more than a few moments to appreciate the mental image.

* * *

 **A/N:** So. This one might be... very silly. And brief. And I may or may not be as pleased with it. But college is getting very real on me all the sudden and I'm an insane person so I also started another FT fic which I'll be posting the first chapter of tonight. And I'm _also_ aiming to have the next chapter of my other FT story, Mutual Burns, ready to go by tomorrow morning. Take that, and this, for whatever you will! Hopefully it's enjoyable, even if more of a snack than a tasty dessert! (Tying in the authors notes with the subject of the chapter. Ain't I classy?)

 **Review Reply time! (Hooray, I can actually SEE them all now! Thanks, support!)**

Senbei x Cup Ramen: You've alleviated my mild concern that some transitions may have been confusing! Fantastic! I'm so glad you like the interactions, I've had tons of fun with them. If you say things like 'original', you make me very happy! I'm happy! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

DarkAxl: Whoa, thank you! I'm glad my first shot at it has turned out so well! You give me high praise, my friend, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'll do my best to deliver on good stuff!

Sidjr100: This guy ships it!


	8. Labels

Disclaimer: If I were a mangaka, I'd be chilling with the cool kids in Japan. Or maybe hanging with Bones. I do love me some FMA. Whoops, off-topic Idon'townFairyTail.

* * *

 **Labels**

Lucy should have been anxious. Her Fairy Tail family had been targeted at the center of a full scale, intercontinental war, after all. The town of Magnolia had been evacuated save for the mages of the guild, and the eerie quiet should have put her on edge.

As she walked home to her apartment with one Natsu Dragneel, however, her nerves tingled for different reasons.

"You know," she said, after listening to Natsu go on about how much he looked forward to having the war done with. "There's a phrase people use when someone fixates too much on the future like that." She tapped a finger to her lip as if thinking about it. She rolled her eyes up and over toward the fire mage. "I think its called tempting fate?"

Natsu scoffed, lacing his hands behind his head, which Happy had chosen for a perch.

"Whatever," he said, kicking out his feet with each step. "Igneel told me to live for the future."

He flashed Lucy her favorite grin.

"So that's what I'm gonna do."

Happy gave an affirmative, if drowsy, 'Aye'. Lucy covered the smile growing on her face with her hand. She almost felt it ridiculous how easy Natsu could get that reaction from her. She pulled out her apartment keys as they neared the door to her building.

"Well, I guess that's fine too."

Lucy felt familiar hands catch her by the waist and she yipped when Natsu caught her legs into his arms.

"Just once, you gotta try this."

Given no time to protest, Lucy clutched Natsu's neck as he jumped up the two stories to her apartment window. She squealed, laughter both nervous and exhilarated escaping her as he let go with one hand to hang from the wall. He opened the window from the outside, his grip never loosening around her waist. She heard Natsu chuckle before he lightly tossed her onto her bed and rolled in next to her.

"You idiot!" She shouted, slapping his chest even as he laughed. She pretended the flush in her cheeks came from outrage rather than excitement. She lasted about fifteen seconds before she broke down laughing with him. Happy hovered in a moment later, grumbling about the sudden movement of his nest. The blue cat tumbled inside and landed in a crook behind Natsu's leg.

"Admit it," Natsu said, bumping his forehead against hers. "You enjoyed that."

Lucy tried to pout- it proved difficult given the smile that refused to leave.

"I guess. I still don't see the appeal it has over the front door."

Natsu poked her face.

"Liar~"

She puffed out her cheeks against Natsu's finger. Her favorite fire mage nuzzled his forehead against hers. They lay in relative silence like that for a few moments before Natsu plopped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. He closed his eyes and rubbed noses with her. She smiled at the pure contentment on his face and slid her fingers into his hair. She giggled when he purred and she kissed him. The celestial spirit mage found his strange mannerisms growing on her. She made a game out of provoking various responses from him.

For whatever reason, Lucy only felt comfortable with experimenting like that when they were in a bed together. In any other setting, she'd feel something resembling uncertainty as to her intentions and desires. She knew it sounded a bit silly- most women would have the exact opposite problem. The bedroom often associated with the part of a relationship when a couple had reached the highest level of physical intimacy. The spirit mage and her dragon slayer hadn't gone that far.

But, she supposed, their relationship had become official in the bedroom, though they hadn't given it a proper name yet. And Natsu had been making himself cozy on Lucy's mattress long before then anyway. Perhaps, she mused, playing with his pink locks, that explained why she felt the most confident and at ease here. Natsu was obstinate about using her bed, of course, but he'd never once tried anything perverted with her.

She smiled and kissed him again, lingering this time. She may have learned in the last couple days that the dragon slayer's mind wasn't always quite as innocent as she believed, but she trusted him so much that she wouldn't- _couldn't_ \- fault him for that. Natsu hummed against Lucy's lips, bringing a warm hand up to hold her neck. She felt his other arm snake under her and loop around her waist. Heat seeped through her clothes onto her stomach from his fingers.

A snickering sound from lower on the bed prompted her to snap her eyes open and remember Happy's presence. Heat of another sort singed her cheeks up to her ears. The blue Exceed seemed more alert than a moment ago, holding a paw to his face. Natsu's hands didn't move.

"What's so funny, Happy?"

Lucy pulled her hand from Natsu's hair to cover her flushed face. She closed her fingers together over her eyes.

"She liiiiikes you!"

The celestial spirit mage felt an overwhelming desire to throttle a certain blue cat. She heard Natsu sigh. She didn't miss the mild irritation in his terse tone.

"So what," he asked, the hand he had on her neck pulling back to push up her hair. "We went over this already. I like her too."

Lucy tensed a bit, forgetting her blush for a moment. She peeked at her favorite fire mage through cracks in her fingers. She noticed the light dust of color matching his hair on his face, but his expression held typical sincerity. He took the hand she hid behind in his and brought it under his nose. Natsu sniffed it and pressed his smiling mouth against her guild mark. The celestial spirit mage felt her heart rate quadruple.

She had to admit she was pretty far over the edge.

Happy, who'd stopped snickering and apparently gotten bored of teasing, pawed at Lucy's leg.

"Lushii," he whined. "I'm hungry. Do you have any fish?"

"Weren't you exhausted a minute ago," Natsu grumbled.

"I took a cat nap!"

"What does the kind of nap have to do with anything?"

Lucy sighed.

"Yes, I have some," she said, sitting up. "Give me a minute."

She started to get out of bed only to squeak when Natsu yanked her back down. The dragon slayer hopped over her onto her floor.

"Nah," he said, stretching. "I'll get it."

Lucy couldn't find it in herself to protest. She swatted at Happy when he commented on the 'weird face' she made while she waited.

"Luce," he called from her kitchen. "You want tea?"

She paused in her banter with the Exceed.

"Um, sure," she said, propping up on her elbow. "Do you know where it is?"

A chortle came in the wake of her question.

"'Course I do."

Moments later, the pink-haired mage appeared with a raw fish in one hand and cup of water in the other. A teabag hung from between his fingers. Happy jumped to nab the fish. Natsu held his palm out under the mug and summoned a brief spike of fire to heat the water. He dropped the teabag inside and handed the cup to Lucy.

"Thank you," she said, sitting up and hanging her legs over the edge of the bed. The temperature of the water felt perfect. She let the tea saturate a few moments before taking a sip. She sputtered and almost spilled it when she opened her eyes; Natsu had taken to sitting on her floor, cross-legged with face in hand, staring at her with a slanted smirk and half-lidded eyes.

Lucy sipped at her drink, hiding the renewed flush in her cheeks. That look Natsu gave her drove her crazy. One of his sharp canines showed in his lazy smile, and the dragon slayer's tongue flicked in front of it. Lucy gulped. He was playing with her.

Well, she didn't have the same competitive streak, but she _did_ have pride as a Fairy Tail wizard. She couldn't just let him get to her.

She put on a smirk of her own as she set her drink down on a bedpost. Her body tingled with anxious anticipation at the reaction she'd get from her favorite fire mage. She swung her legs up behind her so she lay on her stomach on the mattress. Reaching her arm out, she snatched the end of Natsu's scarf and brought it up to her face. The dragon slayer's smug expression faltered a bit.

"Luce?"

Said spirit mage closed her eyes and took a deep, drawn out whiff of the scaled, white fabric. Natsu's scent flooded in, filling her mind with vivid images- true wilderness, campfires, charcoal, smoke, danger, _adventure_. She moaned, soft enough to indicate pleasure but loud enough to be heard. She fluttered her eyes open, taking a coy peek at Natsu from under her lashes. She smiled and made an internal crow of victory at the way his jaw hung agape and the red that ran down his forehead to his neck. Her dragon smelled like and lived for everything she hadn't been allowed to have during her childhood; he shared all of it with her without a second thought.

And she loved him for that.

"Hey, Natsu," she said, twirling a finger around the hairs of the scarf. "What did you want to do so badly after the war?"

Natsu clamped his mouth shut and swallowed. She watched him take a few seconds before he started to answer.

"I"

A cacophony outside cut him short. The fight had come to Magnolia.

* * *

Natsu gave himself one more, lingering look at Lucy before he snuck out of the guildhall with Happy. The dragon slayer knew where to find Zeref thanks to figuring out Warren's Magic Radar. He knew he had the power to cut this war short before any more fights could happen that would put his family at risk. He'd been training for this for a whole year. Once things went back to normal for Fairy Tail, he could do what he'd wanted to do with Lucy since he came back.

Natsu and Happy appeared over Zeref and his army in minutes. The fire mage brought down a sheet of flame across the land beneath him. He landed in front of the immortal dark wizard. He smirked while he unwrapped the bandage on his right arm- he'd end emperor Spriggan for good.

"You are E.N.D."

"Bullshit!"

Natsu couldn't breathe. He fumed at the dark-haired wizard that just regarded him with infuriating calm. He ran to attack again. Zeref dropped the book of E.N.D. and zapped it with magic. Natsu stumbled. He _felt_ that. Oh Mavis, that meant-

"You may be powerful enough to kill me," Zeref said. Natsu grit his teeth, muscles tensing at the sad look on his opponent's face. "But you were created by me."

The world around the dragon slayer seemed to stop spinning.

"If I die, you will perish as well."

Air. The world didn't have enough air in it to sustain the inferno that erupted from his body. He roared, the heat from his magic power exploding all around him. Natsu charged ahead, fist ready.

"Who the fuck cares?"

He came to finish the war. Kill the conflict before it got out of hand and endangered the people he cared about. Fulfill part of Igneel's will; take out the demon he hadn't been able to. Even if that demon was _him_ , his family would be better off this way. Wendy would grow into a beautiful and powerful dragon slayer, can opener would still be a prick, ice princess would fess up to Juvia, Mira would gush about how many babies they'd have, Laxus would take over Fairy Tail, Erza would become a funny Wizard Saint, Lucy would light up the world with her writing and-

And he wouldn't be around to see any of it.

Natsu's momentum faltered. He almost stumbled, sudden realization and understanding crashing over him. He'd be dead. He couldn't avenge Igneel, couldn't play pranks with Happy, couldn't do the things he wanted to do with Lucy. The dragon slayer stopped altogether, letting Happy whisk him away. He didn't even hear the Exceed's tears. He just watched Zeref grow smaller while they flew away, feeling Igneel's last gift of power to him vanish.

Shit.

Natsu woke up in the guild infirmary, a light pressure on his leg. He winced at the dull pain that pervaded throughout his body when he shifted his weight. His favorite blond wiped sleep from her eyes. Natsu felt a stab at his heart when he saw the tear tracks on her face. He'd made her worry about him. He tried to grin, but the hurt in his face turned anything more than a wan smile into a cringe.

"Yo Luce," he said. She didn't smile back at him, only sniffed and stood, locking her fingers with his.

"Hey," she said, reaching to hold his face before placing her other hand on the pillow instead. Natsu remembered the warmth she gave him all over again- she was being tender with his injuries. She kissed him. He felt a familiar spark charge through his senses, something wonderful mixing with and, for a moment, causing him to forget the pain. It came right back when cold tears hit his face. "You had me scared to death, you idiot."

Natsu had to force himself to keep his eyes on hers. Lucy's tears always provoked an almost primal instinct to do whatever necessary to make them stop. He brought a hand up to hold the back of her neck and pressed her forehead to his. He told her without words that the contact didn't hurt.

"Sorry," he whispered. He splayed out his fingers against her skin, wrapping his thumb around a few stray strands of her hair. "Didn't plan on it."

Lucy let out a brief, wet laughing breath. She pulled back, and as much as he relished the feel of her on his callous hand, he let her. She sat down next to his bed, and used the hand not holding his to dry her eyes. The celestial spirit mage looked at him for a few minutes before she spoke.

"Happy told me what happened."

He stiffened. He glanced around the room to try spotting the little traitor. They had agreed on the way back to the guild, before he passed out, that they would wait to explain things to everyone. Great. Now he just had to sit with dread constricting his throat and clouding his mind until the spirit mage brought it up. Lucy squeezed his hand tight. He brought his gaze back to her.

"You should have told me," she said.

"Happy can't carry two people."

"That's not the point," she said, more than a little irritation in her tone. She groaned. "Communication, Natsu. That's what was missing. We've been over this."

The dragon slayer gulped and looked down the bed at his feet. He couldn't argue with that. Nonetheless, he mumbled something of a counterpoint.

"What?"

"I said I wanted the war over and done with. The sooner the better."

Lucy sighed. Natsu squirmed on his cot. Why did she drag things out? He just wanted to get the disgust and repulsion addressed and out of the way about what he couldn't do, about what he _was_.

"By yourself?"

Fuck it. He figured he had imminent doom and the worst day of his life in his immediate future, he might as well play along since it seemed determined to go for a slow build.

"I wanted things to go back to normal, Luce," he said. Natsu took a deep breath. He didn't have any intentions of holding back now that he had committed himself to his fate. "I want our old Fairy Tail back, without the constant threat of bloodshed looming over us. I wanna go back to givin' shit to all the pricks out there, and I," he paused, making a conscious effort to ignore the flush that ran up his neck. "I wanna take my princess out of her tower."

He glanced up at Lucy to see her reaction. She just sat, one hand still holding his. She seemed captivated. He counted that as a good thing.

"I know we've gone on a ton of adventures together already," he said, scratching his head with his free hand. "But I wanna do more with ya. I wanna go on enough jobs to save up money as fast as possible, and then go away for another year. And take you with me this time."

Natsu turned over the hand he was holding, using his fingers to draw imaginary maps and mountain ranges and all the things he wanted to show Lucy on her soft palm. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He just knew that she'd be sick to her stomach hearing things like that from him. He squeezed his eyes shut. He'd come this far; he might as well tear off the bandage.

"But I couldn't do it, Luce," he said, pressing his thumb into her palm. "I'm greedy, and I couldn't do it. I coulda saved everybody a lot of trouble and pain, but maybe that's just something that comes from being a _demon_ ," he spat, bitterness and venom at the term surrounding his tongue. "Guess I am some kinda monster."

Despite how much he didn't want to, he released her hand and lay back against the cot. He felt like he might retch up his internal organs and hawk up broken pieces of his heart, but he'd dealt with it.

"Natsu," Lucy said, something laced in her whisper that he couldn't identify. "Where do you hurt?"

Wait. What? He hadn't seen that coming. But then, Lucy was still Lucy. He had to think about her question for a minute.

"Um," he said, focusing back in on the vague sensations of discomfort that escalated to pain when he tried moving. "Most of me."

"Does your face hurt?"

He didn't think about it.

"No."

Natsu heard a resounding smack that coincided with sharp stinging on his left cheek. His hand came up to his face. Okay, that he did sort of expect. He had the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes when Lucy surprised him again.

His favorite celestial spirit mage mashed her lips to his. She clutched his head hard in her hands. The gesture may have been aggressive, but amazing regardless. She kept at it, gradually softening the intensity and humming into it. He tilted his head to press back deeper, even though he already had trouble finding air. Lucy kept her face close when she initiated the break.

"Natsu," she murmured, still holding his head, albeit now with a much gentler touch. "A bit of advice; don't follow one of the sweetest things you've ever said with the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

The fire mage cringed and grimaced, lowering his eyes to the floor. Lucy never swore. Even more than crying, foul language signaled that he'd screwed up. Lucy's palms pressing into his cheeks called his attention back to her now glaring expression.

"Okay?"

He nodded.

"Right."

She relaxed a little, stroking his jawline with her fingers.

"You're not a monster, Natsu," she said, running a soft hand through his hair. "No one here cares what you are. We're your family, and we love you."

The glare came back for an encore.

"It would have been selfish if you _did_ kill yourself just to beat Zeref."

The chocolate orbs the fire dragon slayer adored twinkled with humor while she placed another short kiss to his lips.

"Who would protect me if my dragon disappeared?"

Natsu gave himself an internal lashing. Lucy's logic made sense to him, and seemed so simple. Mavis, he felt stupid.

"Sorry, Luce," he said again, eliciting a squeak from her when he caught her around the waist and lifted her onto his cot. "I promise I won't leave ya hanging again."

The celestial spirit mage lay stiff while Natsu rolled onto his side to accommodate her addition to the bed.

"I thought you said you were still hurting?"

He closed his eyes and smiled, running one hand up and down her back.

"I was," he said. "Ain't now."

Natsu pulled Lucy toward him, burying his nose in her hair. He inhaled long and deep, sighing with the rush of her natural smell. It brought to his mind strawberries, dusty books, sunlight and safety, _home._ He reveled in the feeling of her nuzzling her nose against his neck. The celestial spirit mage reminded him of the sort of security and belonging that he'd only known with Igneel. Lucy provided all that for him without even trying.

And he loved her for that.

A familiar giggling brought him back to the present, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Happy chortling as usual.

"Where'd you come from?"

The blue Exceed landed on a bedside table.

"I was hiding under the bed!"

Natsu, still holding Lucy, raised an eyebrow.

"Why were you down there?"

A shocked, mortified expression replaced the cat's usual nonchalance.

"Because Lushi is scary~!"

Natsu chuckled. He should have figured his favorite blond would have had to interrogate Happy to make him break his promise. He turned back to her, giving her side a teasing tickle.

"What'd you do to my cat?"

She stifled her giggles and pleaded with him to stop.

"He wouldn't tell me anything!"

"Hey," Happy said, materializing on top of Natsu's head. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

* * *

Lucy froze in the middle of cuddling with her favorite dragon slayer. Happy's question was innocent enough, but it made her realize again that she and her partner still hadn't named whatever they had. She felt Natsu's eyes on her, and, peeking up from under his chin, she looked back at him. She felt his chest rumble with a deep hum before he huffed.

"Nah," he said. Lucy felt a small crack in her heartstrings. Did Natsu not see things the way she did? She couldn't imagine it, but anything was possible. "That's boring!"

Lucy sighed a breath of partial relief and partial exasperation, more with herself than her dragon. Of course he'd reject a normal label for their relationship. His entire being radiated adventure, after all; nothing that fit the norm suited him.

"We're _mates_!"

Lucy opened her eyes to regard his onyx orbs. She melted a little inside at the tooth-filled grin that made her heart stop every time she saw it.

Mates. The term seemed so appropriate for Natsu it almost made her laugh- definite, no room for confusion or mistaken meaning, somewhat animalistic.

And permanent.

While Lucy lay there, reveling in the proximity and feel of being in her dragon's embrace, she pondered things. She'd been raised to believe that a lady grew up for the sake of whoever her parents deemed fit for her. All the decisions belonged to her as far as Natsu was concerned. And she realized the idea of mutual belonging, with him as her partner, didn't bother her in the slightest.

The concept sounded like her favorite kind of adventure.

"Yeah," she agreed, looping a careful arm about her favorite fire mage and wrapping her legs around his. The war be damned, she savored and enjoyed the contact with Natsu too much to care who might walk in on them or what they would think. "We're mates."

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **A/N:** And CUT!

Here we are! This one took a bit longer than the others, mostly since I was trying to come up with something that amounted to Lucy's reaction to Natsu's actual response to Zeref's ultimatum/reveal. I got over the hurdle once I remembered how boring that would have been. This is fan made, after all! Anywho, for those who don't know, due to my work with Mutual Burns, I've sworn off reading any of the new Fairy Tail chapters beyond 470-something, where I last left off. I did this because otherwise MB would be in constant flux and never get done. Unfortunately, that also means I've more or less 'run out' of Nastu-Lucy scenes to create alternate versions of. So, for all intents and purposes, this story is now complete. I realize I've pulled this stunt twice and it didn't stick, but I don't want to jinx things. So I'll leave it at complete. Those who want more could _conceivably_ help me by reading and reviewing Mutual Burns to encourage me along so I can read the manga again! Hahahahahah- shameless self-plug!

TL;DR, this story is now over unless I say otherwise because reasons!

If you enjoyed this last bit, leave a review! If you didn't, read my other two FT fan fictions and talk about them in a review post here in an attempt to confuse me! Thank you to all those who have been reading and reviewing this story! I'd say it's been a fun journey, but that'd be _incredibly_ pretentious sounding since I started this less than two weeks ago! But I did have fun with this! Hope you have fun reading it! Shadic out!


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